Nature Versus Nurture (Part II) Past Meets Present
by flikaroo
Summary: [AU] Reunited after 10 years living apart from each other, the turtles are still learning how to be a family. But the reunited family soon discovers, the past can either bring them closer together, or tear them apart. This is the sequel to Nature Versus Nurture. Based on the 2003 series.
1. I'm Never Alone

**A/N: Thanks to your kind reviews and PM's, I'm happy to announce that the sequel to Nature Versus Nurture is here. If you have not read Nature Versus Nurture, I recommend that you do before reading this one.  
**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles, those rights belong with the respective owners, I am merely borrowing them for this tale.**

 **And now without further delay.**

 **Nature Versus Nurture: Part Two; Past Meets Present**

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Chapter 1-I'm Never Alone

Moving at a comfortable pace, Leonardo jogged across the rooftops, enjoying a rare moment of solitude. He stopped at his favorite old spot. Leo breathed in deeply, enjoying the cool night air. Living among three siblings and a new father, after 10 years apart from everyone, was proving to be a difficult adjustment for the blue clad turtle. Back at Foot Headquarters, Leonardo was surrounded by over 300 Foot Ninja, yet he was often left alone. Leo could spend hours by himself as he practiced his Ninjitsu or embarked on a peaceful session of meditation.

Ever since he rejoined with his long lost brothers, and father, things had changed considerably for the sword wielder. Now Leo was rarely ever left alone. Even when his brothers were not in the room with him, Leo could still hear them. Mikey's laughs and taunts as he pranked their hot headed brother yet again. Raph's curses and punches, aimed at his favorite punching bag in the dojo, or sometimes, at their mischievous youngest brother. Even Donnie, although introspective and thoughtful, was a rather noisy turtle. The sounds of Donnie's work on, well, who besides Donnie ever really knew what it was anyway, emerged from the walls of his laboratory and carried throughout the lair. For the eldest turtle, it wasn't easy going from being an only child to one of four. And while Leo cared deeply for the members of his reacquainted family, he was finding the presence of three additional siblings a little, well, suffocating.

Leonardo shifted his weight as he gazed at the city below, continuing to reflect on all of the recent changes in his life. In addition to learning to live with three brothers, there was the adjustment of Leo's individual role among his new clan. The role of leader. For years, his old master, the Shredder, had tried to encourage Leonardo into taking the position of leader of the Foot Ninja. Leo easily sidestepped the advances every time. More pressing matters often pulled his old Master's attention away from Leo's stubborn and reclusive nature.

Within the short time spent under Master Splinter's tutelage, the blue masked teen picked up the role and subsequent responsibilities determined from his youth. Leo let out a sigh as his eyes looked up at the night sky. It was a clear night and he could see a handful of stars. As leader, he carried the responsibility of the safety and well-being of his clan. The burden of this newly acquired accountability left Leonardo once again, never alone.

And finally, there was adjusting to the rules and teachings from a new father and sensei, Master Splinter. The old rat was wise and strong. He commanded respect from his sons instead of demanding it. Discipline, came in the form of backflips and disapproving glares. Praise, accompanied by a kind word or a nod of approval. Leonardo marveled at the differences between his new and old sensei's. Leo's eyes fell towards the general direction of Foot Headquarters, his old home. Ten years under the mantle of the Foot Clan as the Shredder's son. A decade away from his brothers and true family. Letting out a deep breath, Leonardo stood and turned his back on his old home. _Ten years of a lifetime, best left in the past._

Leonardo took a couple steps forward, ready to return to the lair. Suddenly he felt the air shift behind him. In one smooth motion he pulled a sword from the sheath on his back and spun on his heel. Bringing the sword upward as he completed the turn, he sliced the shaft of the oncoming arrow in half. Pausing for a moment, Leonardo searched the shadows, looking for the source of the projectile. Detecting no one nearby, Leo returned the sword to the resting spot on his back, and picked up the arrow.

Suspicious, his eyes narrowed as he pulled the note from the arrow's shaft. As he ran over the words written in Japanese, his eyes hardened.

'You are still the Shredder's son.'

Leo clenched his jaw tightly, his teeth grinding against each other, as he folded the paper in half. With one more look to the surrounding shadows, Leo stuffed the note into his belt, and continued his trek home.

A pair of eyes watched the blue clad turtle from the shadows. _Now I wonder what that was all about?_

* * *

 **A/N: This was a short first chapter to get the ball rolling on this tale. Any guesses on who was watching Leo from the shadows? And in Chapter 2, we'll find out what Donnie, Mikey and Raph have been doing. How important is your review to me? Well, your reviews are the reason why this sequel exists. I bribe with virtual treats for reviews, vanilla ice cream cones with chocolate sprinkles (or rainbow sprinkles if you prefer) to those who review! _  
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	2. Everybody Gets Caught

**A/N: Your reviews make my plot bunny very happy! And now to find out what the other brother's have been doing while Leo was out strolling the city's rooftops.**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics. Computer chatting is in bold.**

 **Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own the turtles.**

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Chapter 2-Everybody Gets Caught

Donatello's face was bathed in the soft glow of his computer screen, as he read the instant message staring back at him. The conversation was heading in a direction that he had hoped to avoid. He bit down on his lip to keep from growling out loud in frustration. His eyes ran over the message again.

 **When do I get to meet your brothers Don?**

Tension began to build in Donnie's shoulders. The last thing he needed was to open the door to possibility. If he gave even the tiniest crack, the smallest shred of hope, it would trigger a relentless pursuit. His foe would not stop until they had made their way into Don's new family and his new life. With fingers flying over the keyboard, Donnie typed his reply.

 **You don't get to meet them. EVER. You should have left with the others.**

The response was immediate and unsurprising.

 **You know I could not do that. I could never leave you Don. I wouldn't leave you, alone.**

Donatello shook his head. _You make one mistake, one time, and it never let's you forget it._ **I'm not alone. My life has changed. I'm with my brothers now.**

 **Didn't you say so yourself, that we could still be friends? And friends don't abandon their friends.**

Exasperated, Donnie shook his head again. He could feel the beginnings of a stress headache coming on. _This is getting me no where. Time to change tactics._

 **What about you? There is no reason for you to stay here, away from your own kind. We were over a long time ago. You need to move on. Live your own life.**

Unfortunately, Donnie's opponent would not be so easily deterred.

 **You haven't told them about us yet have you. And why is that Don? After all, they are your brothers, your family right? Shouldn't you be able to tell your family everything? You don't trust them. But you know can trust me. I'll always be there for you Don.**

The purple clad turtle ground his teeth together as he felt his blood pressure rising. She always had a knack for getting under his shell.

 **I'll tell them eventually. When I am ready. Stop pushing the issue. You are the most stubborn being I have ever met.**

 **Some would say the same thing about you Don.**

Donnie shook his head again, glaring at the computer screen.

 **If you ever want them to trust you, and for you to trust them, they should know about us. You can't escape your past Don.**

Donnie let out a frustrated growl as he replied. **Stay away from me and my family. You should return home. I'm moving on. You should too. Good night.**

The reply was immediate. Donnie let out a huff. _She always did like having the last word._

 **You always were stubborn. Your brothers will find out about your past sooner or later. The question is, do you want them to hear it from you, or from someone else?**

Donatello stared at the blinking cursor on the screen. _As usual, she's right. I just didn't know what to do about it._

 **We'll discuss this again soon. I miss you Don, good night.**

Donatello pushed his chair away from the computer screen and signed off. _What am I doing?_ Closing his eyes, he placed his head in his hands and took a deep breath. _Breathe in, breathe out. You'll figure out what to do. Just relax._ Donnie opened his eyes, listening for signs of anyone else awake. Satisfied that he was the only one up at the late hour, Donnie slowly crept out of his laboratory.

* * *

Michelangelo hurried back to the lair. He had spent more time out than he planned and now he ran the risk of being caught sneaking in past curfew. Michelangelo balanced on a support beam near the ceiling of the lair, using his ninja stealth to return to his bedroom. A sliver of light peeking out from the door to Donatello's laboratory caught his eye. _Heh, looks like I'm not the only one still awake. I wonder what Donnie's always doing on the computer so late at night?_

Mikey continued to creep along in the darkness as he surveyed his surroundings. The orange clad turtle was used to sneaking in late at night. He'd been doing this for weeks now. Even though Master Splinter knew about Mikey's visits to April's, he frowned on the energetic turtle's continued excursions to the surface alone. Especially now that he had three brothers to accompany him when venturing topside.

In truth Mikey was reluctant to introduce his old friend to his new brothers. Mikey was certain that April would love his brothers just as much as he did. Yet just this once, Mikey didn't want to share. Not yet anyway. He knew he was being selfish but the orange clad turtle didn't care. After ten years living with just himself and Master Splinter, Mikey was tired of being all alone. The sociable turtle had lived apart from his brothers for too long. And now, he didn't ever want to be without them again. Michelangelo had no plans to let any of them go, even if it was just to meet his friend. Fortunately for him, April understood and had agreed to wait to meet his new bros until he was ready to share them.

* * *

Hidden among the shadows Raphael continued to tail Leonardo as he made his way back to the lair. The red clad turtle had taken to following his older brother during his night time excursions. While his fighting skills were on par with his brothers, Raph's extended time among the Triceriton's left his stealth skills slightly lacking. The Triceriton's are exceptional warriors, but the large dinosaurs are not exactly a quiet race. Annoyed that his brothers could be better than him, Raph focused all his energies into improving his stealth. And the ever silent and stoic Leonardo was the perfect turtle to practice on. At first, Raph could only follow for a few minutes at time, before Leo would tense up, sensing someone following him. But lately, Raph had been able to shadow his brother for longer periods.

Along with Raph's growing stealth skills, was his increased curiosity at Leo's solo behavior. Clearly the blue clad turtle had a favorite rooftop in the city. He would routinely visit and appear to ponder thoughts that looked too heavy for one person, or well turtle, to bare. But something about his brooding brother's behavior bothered Raphael. Every now and then, he would notice his sword wielding sibling staring in the direction of Foot Headquarters, an unreadable expression on his face. And then there was that secret message sent by arrow tonight. _I wonder what that note said?_

Distracted by his wandering thoughts, Raphael stepped down too hard in the sewer tunnels. To the untrained ear, the soft sound would have gone unnoticed. Unfortunately for Raph, Leonardo's ear is very well trained and he stopped mid stride. In one swift motion, Leo spun while pulling his swords from the sheaths on his back, and faced the darkness behind him.

Leo's voice called out. "Who's there?"

Raph stepped into the light, his hands held up in a gesture of peace. "Easy there Fearless, it's just me."

With a liquid smooth motion, Leonardo sheathed his swords. He crossed his arms in front of his plastron. "What are you doing out past curfew Raph?"

Raph let out a snort. "I could ask you the same thing bro. Nice to see I'm not the only one to break the rules around here."

Realizing he was caught, Leo shook his head before turning his back on his brother. "Come on, let's get back to the lair before Master Splinter catches us both."

* * *

Master Splinter watched four shadows moving across the room. His four sons abilities at stealth were quite good. _Almost too good._ The annoyed father's tail whipped back and forth, the only sign of his agitation. One of the challenges of being the father to four teenage boys, was disciplining them. And right now it looked like a shell whooping was in order. Splinter reached out and smacked the light switch.

The sudden light throughout the lair blinded the four culprits.

Mikey let out a yelp as he shielded his eyes, while trying to maintain his balance on the beam. _Uh oh._

A groan escaped Donnie's lips as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to adjust to the sudden light. _I don't think this is going to be good._

Raph bit back the curse that tried to accompany his growl, as he blinked rapidly, urging his eyes to adjust faster. _Aww, shell._

Leo held his breath for a second, before letting it out slowly. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, letting them readjust to the sudden light. _We're in big trouble._

Master Splinter smacked his walking stick on the floor, the agitation in his voice clear. "Dojo, now!"

* * *

Splinter paced back and forth. His four sons remained kneeling in front of him. His ears were halfway back on his head, his tail whipping back and forth. Splinter let the silence speak for itself as he paced. The four brothers continued to stare at the floor.

When he was satisfied that the silence had been long enough, Splinter spoke. "Since all of you have enough energy to stay awake all night, you must have enough energy to practice. We will begin with form number one. Begin!"

Biting back groans, the four students leapt to their feet and fell into sync.

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 **A/N: Tee hee, it can't be easy to discipline four teenagers sometimes. So was anyone surprised that Raph was the one following Leo? As I've mentioned in PMs to those who have reviewed, I have a couple curve balls for this story, and that was the first one. Speaking of reviews, virtual frozen chocolate covered bananas to those who do. The next chapter is heavy on father and son interaction. What was that? Which son you ask? Well, you'll have to wait and see. Feel free to leave a guess with your review. And thanks for reading!  
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	3. Learning To Share

**A/N: I am humbled by your reviews. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. And now, this chapter is for the Mikey fans.**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.**

 **Disclaimer: Me own the turtles, sadly only in my dreams.**

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Chapter 3-Learning To Share

The next morning Splinter looked upon his exhausted, youngest son, kneeling before him. The late night practice had been a grueling one for the teenagers. Come morning everyone was nursing their sore and tired muscles.

After a quiet breakfast among the group, Splinter had requested the presence of Michelangelo, alone. The orange turtle shifted under his father's steady gaze, awaiting the lecture that was sure to come.

Master Splinter was not expecting the transition from being a father of one, to becoming a father of four, to be an easy one. Splinter wasn't surprised that his lost sons were all acting out. In truth, he had been expecting it. He had to rebuild his relationship among his sons as their new father. And he also had to work on earning their respect as their new Master. Michelangelo was instrumental in making the transition among the brothers easier to bear. Splinter knew that his youngest son's empathetic nature would allow the happy-go-lucky turtle to reach out to his elder brothers, in a way that Splinter would not be able to. Already Mikey had shown that he was able to calm his hotheaded brothers rage (or sometimes spark it), draw his genius brothers attention away from his experiments, and lighten the leader's burden, even if it was only for a short while.

But what the old rat had not anticipated, was that the behaviors of his eldest sons, would rub off onto the youngest as well. _All of my sons are keeping secrets from each other._ After the initial discussions about their pasts, his four sons stuffed their past lives away, hidden from view of the new family. Splinter was happy that his sons were putting their old lives aside and readily accepting their new roles.

Splinter's tail lightly flicked from side to side. _However, ignoring the past can be as dangerous as constantly trying to re-live it. One's past explains how a person perceives the present. The events of someone's past affects how they will pursue the future. If my four sons are to truly become a family, and to work as a team of warriors, then each of them needs to know enough about their brothers past to understand one another._

Mikey's behavior since the arrival of his brothers was troubling. Michelangelo adored attention. It was unlike the outgoing teen to hide something, especially for so long. Splinter narrowed his eyes. _No, things have got to change. Michelangelo is going to be the first brother to step forward, whether he likes it not._

Finished with his internal musings, Splinter nodded once to himself, then cut right to the point.

"My son, why do you keep April hidden from your brothers?"

Startled by his father's forthrightness, Mikey took a sharp intake of breath. He raised his eyes to look at Splinter. _I never was able to hide anything from Master Splinter._

Father and son stared at each in silence. Realizing that he wasn't going to get out of this one, Mikey swallowed hard. Embarrassed, he lowered his eyes to the floor, softly responding. "I don't want to share."

Splinter raised an eyebrow at this, but remained silent for a moment. Mikey continued to stare downward, refusing to let his father see his face.

Reaching over, Splinter gently cupped his young son's face, forcing Mikey's ashamed eyes to meet his own loving gaze.

"Share my son?"

Mikey's eyes began to water at his father's gentle prodding.

Splinter shifted so that he could embrace his trembling son into a hug. He rubbed small circles on his shell, waiting patiently for Michelangelo to continue.

The warm embrace was enough to break the dam of emotions Mikey had been hiding from everyone. At first, he couldn't speak, too caught up in the emotions that only long held tears could release.

When he finally regained his composure, Mikey turned his red eyes to look at his father's face.

"I d-don't wa-want to sh-share them fa-father. I don't wa-want to lose t-th-them… ever a-ag-again."

Splinter continued to rub small circles as he spoke. "Michelangelo, I hardly think that April is going to steal your brothers from you."

Mikey let out a snort, but remained silent as Master Splinter continued.

"She has become a good friend and is a cherished member of this family. I'm sure she is as curious to meet your brothers, as they will be to meet her."

"But, w-wh-what if th-they like her fa-father?" Mikey took a deep breath, his voice trembling as he continued. "Wh-what if th-they wa-want to s-sp-spend more t-ti-time with her, th-than with m-me?"

Master Splinter's eyes grew wide. _Ah, and now we finally hit upon the real problem._

Splinter stopped rubbing his son's shell. He turned and gently grasped Mikey's chin, forcing his son's eyes to once again meet his own. Splinter gave his child's red rimmed eyes a stern look. "My son, we have not forced your brothers to rejoin with us. They have each chosen to do so. And do you know why my son?"

Hiccuping, Mikey could only shake his head, _No._

"Because your brothers chose to remain with us. No one forces them. They elect to do so, on their own. Your brothers need you as much as you need them."

Mikey's eyes grew large, hope reflecting in the deep pools. "You r-re-really t-th-think s-so Ma-Master S-Sp-Splinter?"

Splinter let a warm smile spread across his face. "We are a family my son. I think your brothers will cherish April as much as you do. Families share with one another and families stick together."

Michelangelo felt like a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. _Maybe Master Splinter is right. We have to work on sharing our lives with each other. On being a family._ Already his newly found energy began to radiate off the hyperactive turtle. His face broke into a smile.

Sensing his son wasn't going to be able to sit still for much longer, Splinter gave Mikey's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Go my son. Share your friend from the past with your brothers."

* * *

Michelangelo raced out of Splinter's room as if someone had lite his tail on fire. Attempting to cut his brother off, Leonardo barely made it to the door of the lair in time. He firmly grabbed Mikey's arm, halting his momentum.

"Mikey, wait, where are you going?"

Red rimmed eyes looked at Leo, causing the leader to let out gasp of surprise. "Mikey, what's wrong?"

Michelangelo shrugged his arm out of Leo's grasp, a big smile across his face. "Everything's good now bro, and it's about to get even better."

Mikey turned on his heel and raced into the sewers. "I'll be back bros!"

Sitting on the couch, Raph raised an eye ridge as he looked over his shoulder at Leonardo. "Should we go after him?"

Before Leo could respond, Splinter exited his room. "No my sons. But we should prepare for the arrival of our guest."

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 **A/N: So, April's going to meet Mikey's lost bros, well that should be interesting. I'll give you one virtual cup of watermelon for a review, please?**


	4. First Impressions

**A/N: Thank you to those who have reviewed. Let's see what April thinks of Mikey's bros now, shall we?**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.**

 **Disclaimer: With each passing chapter I am reminded of one simple fact, I do not own the turtles.**

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Chapter 4-First Impressions

April struggled to keep up with an overly excited Michelangelo as they made their way back to the lair. The four boxes of pizza were precariously balanced in Mikey's nimble fingers. His enthusiasm radiated off of him in waves as he chatted away.

When Mikey first showed up at April's place unexpectedly, and announced that he was ready for her to meet his brothers, she had been thrilled. April didn't know what had caused the sudden change of mind for her best friend, but she wasn't going to question it. April was far too curious about Mikey's brothers to miss an opportunity to meet them. But the closer she got to the lair, the more nervous she became. _What are they going to think about me? I hope they all like me._

April was snapped out of her thoughts by Michelangelo tugging on her hand. "Come on April!"

The red head took a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm her nerves. Mikey continued to tug her through the sewer tunnels, towards the lair.

Michelangelo bounded through the front door and placed the warm pizzas on the stove. His voice rang out. "Guys, we're here!"

Exiting from his room, Master Splinter was the first to greet the new arrivals. "Ms. O'Neil."

April gave a short bow to her good friend's father. "Master Splinter, it is good to see you."

"And you as well." Gently grasping her arm Splinter led April to the kitchen table. "Come, let us meet my other sons." April couldn't stop the wide smile that spread across her face.

* * *

Hearing Mikey's voice from his room, Raph rose from his hammock to greet their guest. Raph looked around his bedroom as he grabbed his sais. Giving them a quick twirl, he stored them in his belt. _Things have sure changed a lot since my time with the Triceritons._ The red clad turtle wasn't sure what to think about meeting Mikey's old friend. Instead he chose not to think about it. _I prefer going with the flow anyway._ Raph exited his room. He looked down at the red haired female sitting at the kitchen table with Master Splinter and Michelangelo. Raph took in a deep breath. _Well let's get this over with._ Bypassing the stairs, Raph flipped down to the first floor.

Approaching the table, Raph's gruff voice rang out. "Hey."

April's head turned to the source of the sound, taking in the red masked turtle for the first time. Mikey had gone into detail about each of his brothers. But that was nothing compared to seeing them for herself for the first time. Raphael walked forward and introduced himself as he extended his hand. "I'm Raphael."

April felt calluses on Raphael's hand during their handshake. She tried to take in everything about the red clad turtle at once. Similar to his younger brother, Raph had the build of an athlete. But the red clad turtle was more muscular and broader than his orange masked sibling. _Raph's bigger and stockier than Mikey described._ Her eyes roamed over the multiple scars on his skin. Then her eyes locked with Raph's own. April had to stop herself from shrinking back from his fierce gaze. _Wow, this guy really is a warrior._

Mikey placed his hand on April's shoulder. "Relax April, Raphie here won't bite."

Raph flipped a chair backwards and began to sit down as he growled at his younger brother. "I told you, don't call me Raphie."

Despite the stern tone, April caught the glint in Raph's eyes. The larger turtle may look intimidating, but the humor that flashed in his eyes showed that he adored the nickname given to him by his little brother. April began to relax back into her chair. _I bet he's a big ol'softie under that rough exterior._

* * *

Donatello pressed Ctrl S on the keyboard in response to Mikey's voice carrying into the laboratory. Grabbing the bo leaning next to his desk, Don rose from his chair. _Looks like it's time to meet Mikey's old friend._ The purple clad turtle was curious to meet Mikey's old friend. But he wasn't looking forward to losing an evening worth of progress on his latest program. He exited the lab and began to make his way to the kitchen, lost in his thoughts. _Well maybe if they leave early enough I can go back to addressing the issue with that subroutine._

The clearing of a throat interrupted him. "My son."

Donatello snapped his head up, and then his eyes grew wide. _She's gorgeous!_ Donnie sat down at the table, fighting to control the blush trying to reach his cheeks. His gentle voice reached April's ears. "Hi. Um, I'm Donatello."

* * *

April had watched the purple masked turtle as he slowly walked over to their table. Just like his brothers, Donatello had the muscles and carriage of a skilled fighter. Yet unlike Mikey and Raph, who both radiated with excess energy, Donatello's demeanor was calmer. He seemed oblivious to the world, lost in his own thoughts, as he joined the small group at the kitchen table. _Well Mikey did say he was an engineer. Maybe we'll have something in common?_

Startled out of his thoughts by Master Splinter, Donnie's gentle greeting carried to April as he glanced up. But what really drew April's attention, was the intelligence seen in his eyes.

Mikey snapped his fingers in Don's face as he chastised his purple masked brother. "Donnie, snap out of it and enjoy our company."

Don replied with a sheepish grin as he apologized and took a seat at the table. "Sorry April, I've been working on this computer program for a while now and I've been stuck on this function."

April's eyes lit up. _Computer engineering, now that's something I'm comfortable with._ Eager to make a good first impression among Mikey's brothers she offered her help. "Well I'm pretty comfortable with computers. Perhaps I can take a look after we eat?"

Donnie's eyes grew large, the tension falling from his shoulders, as he nodded. "That would be great April."

Satisfied that things were going well, April relaxed further in her seat. _Well that's two brothers down, and one to go._

* * *

April began to look around the room, searching for the final brother. Michelangelo shifted in the chair next to her.

Master Splinter turned and looked into the shadows over his shoulder as he spoke. "Leonardo, come meet our guest."

April let out a yelp of surprise. The blue clad turtle suddenly seemed to appear out of thin air, as his body entered the light. _I wonder how long he's been standing there?_

Leo bowed his head in formal greeting as he approached the table. "Ms. O'Neil."

April waved a hand in front of her face, trying to lighten the mood of the room. "Please, you can call me April."

Leo locked his eyes with April's own for a moment, acknowledging her request with the smallest of nods.

"Ms. April." He pulled out a chair and sat down in one smooth motion. "I am Leonardo."

For the second time since meeting Mikey's brothers, April had to stop herself from shrinking back from a fierce gaze. _Wow, this guy is as intense as Raph, maybe even worse._ As with the other brothers, the sword carrying turtle had the physique of a fighter. But he possessed something else. _It's in the way he moves, like a predator stalking it's prey. I wonder if he ever let's his guard down?_

With the small family all seated at the table, Mikey reached over and began dishing out the pizza. He happily started the conversation in an attempt to relax everyone in the room.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter is really part one of the bros meeting April. In the next chapter, we'll find out how April and Mikey met. But I'm curious, how do you think they met? Your reviews keep me writing, so why not drop one before you go? Virtual chocolate covered peanut butter cups to those who do.**


	5. Fun With April

**A/N: A few questions have come up in reviews and PM's. Here's a recap of the answers.**

 **No, there will be no Apritello in this tale.**

 **Yes, we will eventually find out who Donnie was talking to in Chapter 2.**

 **Yes, the past of each brother will surface at some point in this tale.**

 **Any questions, please feel free to ask in a review or PM and thanks for reading. Now onto the next chapter.**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.**

 **Disclaimer: Even in my dreams I still don't own the turtles.**

* * *

Chapter 5-Fun With April

Michelangelo's jokes helped ease the tension in the room. Soon everyone was laughing along. Yet the unasked question continued to linger in the air.

Deciding there's no time like the present, April wiped the tears from her eyes and addressed the jovial group.

"So you guys probably want to know how I met your brother?"

Three pairs of curious eyes looked at April, while a flush started to creep up Mikey's face. Master Splinter had grounded him for weeks after exposing himself to a human.

Noticing Mikey's discomfort April continued. "Well, you see, there was this animal shelter in Chelsea that I used to volunteer at. I usually worked Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. I started out with helping to clean out the cages and assist people interested in pet adoption. They had a really old filing system and most of the applications and adoption paper work was recorded by hand. Same thing with the charts for the animal's veterinary visits."

Donnie's eyes grew wide at the thought of such an antiquated system still in use. April nodded. "I know Donnie right, in today's day and age. It's crazy to think that anyone would still keep record of such vital pieces of information with paper and pen."

April continued. "We were able to get some local businesses to donate old computers to the shelter. I was in charge of converting their filing system into an electronic format. One night, I lost track of the time and was at the shelter really late at night."

April looked at Mikey. Clearly embarrassed, the orange turtle shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, encouraging April to continue.

"So there I am, at the shelter really late at night, when I hear the kittens and puppies in the back room meowing and barking like crazy! The shelter had this ongoing rumor that a ghost would stir up the animals late at night. And sometimes, the volunteers would find an additional kitten or puppy in the morning that wasn't there the day before."

The first to catch on, Donatello leaned forward, looking at his youngest brother. "It was Mikey."

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Michelangelo picked up with the tale. "Yeah, well, you see guys, sometimes when I would sneak out topside I would find these stray kittens or puppies in the alleys. They looked so scrawny and lonely. I couldn't just leave them there! So I would bring them to the animal shelter."

Raphael leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "And afterwards you'd stay to play with the animals."

Encouraged by his brothers interest, Mikey continued. "I never even noticed April. I was too busy playing with the kittens and puppies."

Master Splinter just shook his head at Michelangelo's lack of stealth and secrecy.

April interjected. "At first, I didn't know WHAT I was seeing. But after I got over the shock, I realized that the animals just loved him!"

Mikey added. "April loves animals as much as I do."

Curious, Donnie asked. "Do you still volunteer at the animal shelter April?"

April shook her head, _No._ A look of sorrow crossed April and Mikey's features.

April let out a sigh. "About six months ago, a neighboring building caught fire. The fire spread to the entire city block, including the animal shelter."

Mikey looked at the group with tears welling up in his eyes. "I was a couple of blocks away when I heard the fire trucks. By the time I realized it was the animal shelter, it was too late. I couldn't save them."

April put her hand on Mikey's arm. "I told you Mikey, no one could have saved them from that fire. With the animal shelter gone, we started meeting at my apartment. Sometimes the coffee shop in my neighborhood. Eventually Mikey brought me down here to meet Master Splinter."

Master Splinter cleared his throat and sternly looked at his sons. "As you know, I do not approve of showing ourselves to the outside world. Our safety and survival depends on us living in the shadows." Splinter's eyes looked warmly at April. She smiled in reply. "However, Ms. O'Neil has become a part of this family."

Mikey began bouncing in his seat, his earlier sorrow already forgotten. "She helps us with the lair, brings us food and supplies. And she's got the coolest gaming system at her apartment!"

April giggled at Mikey's outburst. "And Mikey helps me out around my store, Second Time Around. Carrying heavy items for me, minor repairs, and scaring off the occasional troublemakers."

Leonardo snapped his head up, speaking for the first time. "Do you have a lot of gang activity in your area April?"

April shook her head. "For years, I never had a problem. But lately gang activity has increased considerably. I recently got an alarm system installed, but something keeps setting it off. The alarm company and I can't figure out what's causing it."

The gleam in Donatello's eyes was unmistakable. An electronic challenge. "I'd be happy to take a look at it for you April."

Mikey turned pleading eyes to Master Splinter. "Can we Master Splinter, pleeeassseee?"

Five pairs of eyes looked at the Ninjitsu master, awaiting his decision. He let out a sigh. "Do not stay out too late my sons. And please be careful."

Letting out a cheer, Mikey was the first one to race out the door of the lair. "Yippee!"

* * *

April couldn't suppress the smile on her face as she watched her new friends leave her apartment. Donatello had figured out the problem with her alarm system, saving her hours of back and forth calls with the alarm company.

By the end of the evening the four brothers had all relaxed, at least a little. April saw the beginnings of the close bond that was forming among the four siblings. As Donnie worked on the alarm problem, Michelangelo kept Raphael and himself occupied, playing with April's gaming system. The friendly banter back and forth between the hot headed and energetic turtles was endearing for the red head to watch.

At first Leonardo was quieter than his younger brothers. The blue clad turtle had personally inspected April's apartment and store with a careful eye. After discussing with Donatello a couple of modifications to improve security, Leo kept himself occupied in the kitchen with a cup of tea. Eventually Mikey noticed his brooding eldest brother.

It started with one kernel of popcorn, which ultimately turned into an all-out friendly brawl among the four teenagers. Realizing their mistake, they offered to clean up the mess. April shooed them out the door, promising to take them up on the cleanup offer in the future. The mess would take time to clean up, but she didn't care. She couldn't be any happier for Michelangelo. April didn't think it was possible, but the excitable turtle had even more energy radiating from him as he bantered with each of his brothers. It was clear that Mikey adored having his siblings around.

April watched the four shells facing her as they faded into the shadows. She had always felt blessed that Michelangelo and Master Splinter had accepted her into their small family. Now that small family just got a little larger. And April was delighted to be a part of it.

* * *

 **A/N: Why I do believe things have been awfully quiet for the boys lately, time for that to change. Virtual pretzels with cheese dip to those who review.**


	6. Foot Trouble

**A/N: Your reviews really got my plot bunny moving and I finished up faster than originally anticipated. Here's a nice long chapter for you.**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.**

 **Disclaimer: Of this one fact I am certain, I do not own the turtles.**

* * *

Chapter 6-Foot Trouble

Lightened by the events of the evening, the four brothers jumped across the rooftops of New York City, bathed in the moons gentle light. Leonardo brought up the rear as he followed his siblings. Michelangelo took the lead, guiding the small group the long way home from April's apartment. The orange clad turtle's reservoirs of energy seemed limitless as he taunted his brothers.

Mikey's exuberant voice rang out from the darkness as he landed on the next roof. "Let's have a race! The last turtle home has to do the dishes for a week."

Donnie landed with a soft thump next to his brother. "I don't think so Mikey."

The thump of Raph followed quickly thereafter. He took a playful swipe at the youngster. "You'll be the one doing the dishes, shell for brains."

Mikey realized Leonardo had not responded to the challenge. He spun on his heels, searching for his eldest brother. Mikey tilted his head to the side when he located Leo, standing away from the group, near the edge of the rooftop.

Raph and Donnie shifted to follow Mikey's gaze. Leonardo suddenly tensed as his silent searching found something. Mikey opened his mouth to question the blue masked leader. Leo put up one hand, placing his finger near his lips, ordering Mikey to remain silent. Leo's other hand silently pulled a katana from the holder on his back.

Following his lead, the three brothers pulled out their weapons. At the same time Foot Ninja poured out of the shadows, surrounding the small group. Raph, Mikey and Donnie took a step closer together, ensuring that their backs were covered.

Mikey let out a groan. "So much for the race."

A smile crossed Raph's face. "Fine by me, I could use a little action tonight anyway."

Donnie twirled his bo. Unwilling to let the Foot ruin the fun of their evening, he issued a new challenge to his brothers. "Turtle who knocks out the least Foot Ninja has dish duty for the week?"

As if following a silent command, the Foot Ninja began to attack.

Raph called out as he knocked a Ninja unconscious with the handle of his sai. "Fine by me! Mikey will still be the one doing the dishes."

Mikey laughed as he did a split kick, causing two Ninja to fall unconscious. "No way bros, I'm the Battle Nexus Champion."

Donnie let out a groan as he used his bo to swipe out the feet of his opponents. "Not that again. Look what you started Raph!"

Leo had to suppress an eye roll as his brothers banter reached his ears. _If only they could be as passionate about fighting in battle as they are about their challenges._ As his own opponents fell to the ground, Leo moved to take a step closer to his brothers. A puff of smoke appeared in front of him. When the smoke cleared, Leo found the path to his teammates blocked by the crossed weapons of two of the Foot's Elite Guard. Leo looked over the shoulder of the Elite on his left to observe the progress of his brothers. They were making quick work of the Foot Ninja. _Something about this ambush does not add up._

Leo's eyes hardened as he took up on offensive stance and addressed his old comrades. "Why did you attack us?"

The Elite with the twin bladed sword lunged forward. He spoke in Japanese, ignoring Leonardo's question. "Our message was clear. You forget your place among the Foot Clan, young Master."

Leonardo recalled the note he received by arrow. _I should have known they weren't going to stop with just that note._ Blocking the attack, the anger dripped from Leonardo's words as he replied in Japanese. "The Shredder is dead. I am part of the Foot Clan no longer, Shiro."

The Elite with the trident joined his brother. As his trident met Leo's sword, the Elite also spoke in Japanese. "Many among the Foot would not agree with you, young Master."

Leonardo let out a growl as he blocked the dual attack while continuing in Japanese. "Saki stole me from my family, Saburo. I have no loyalty to his memory or to his clan."

Shiro brought his twin bladed sword down in an arc near the cloth tied on Leo's arm. The calculating strike caused the fabric to fall to the ground, the sharp steel lightly grazing the skin underneath. "Ten years of service is not to be dismissed so easily."

Feeling the material slide off of his arm, Leonardo froze. He had never shown his brothers the Foot Clan tattoo on his arm.

Saburo stopped his attack. He pointed his trident at the exposed tattoo on Leo's bicep. "Remember what Clan you belong to young one."

Shiro and Saburo took a step back before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Satisfied that his two younger brothers were holding their own against the Foot Ninja, Raphael spared a glance over at his older brother. The blue masked leader was dispatching his opponents with his usual grace and ease. The three younger brothers were slowly making their way back to their leader when a puff of smoke near Leonardo captured everyone's attention.

Donatello was the first to comment. "The Foot Elite are cornering Leo!"

"I've got him!"

Mikey quickly finished his foe. The nunchaku wielder landed in a crouch near Leo at the same time the Foot Elite with the twin bladed sword finished cutting the cloth away from Leo's bicep. Mikey's ears picked up the end of a sentence spoken in Japanese.

"…is not to be dismissed so easily."

Mikey heard the Elite Guard with the trident speaking to Leo, also in Japanese. Mikey moved to his brother's side and took up a defensive stance. "Remember what clan you belong to young one."

Before Mikey could address the Foot Elite, they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Turning to question Leo, Mikey's eyes grew wide as they fell upon the mark on Leo's arm. The nunchaku wielder had no clue that Leo had been hiding a Foot Clan tattoo underneath that cloth all this time. Unable to hold back his surprise Mikey exclaimed. "Dude, you've got a tattoo of the Foot on your arm!"

* * *

Raph and Donnie had just finished with the last of the Foot Ninja when Mikey's voice carried over to them.

"Dude, you've got a tattoo of the Foot on your arm!"

Raph and Donnie turned at the same time, questioning Mikey's outburst. "What?"

Unwilling to discuss the matter, Leonardo ordered his three startled brothers. "We've got to leave now, before more Foot show up."

Leo jumped down the fire escape; not bothering to wait for his brothers to follow.

Raph jogged over to Mikey, with Donnie on his heels.

"Mikey, what's going on?"

Mikey looked at his two older brothers with a confused look on his face. "I don't know guys. But we can't stay here." The orange clad turtle jumped down after Leo. Donnie put his hand on Raph's shoulder in a vain attempt to calm his hot headed brother. "Come on Raph, we'll talk about it back at the lair."

* * *

Leo set a punishing pace back to the lair. His three brothers were forced to follow in silence as they struggled to catch their breath and keep up.

 _Dude sure is fast when he wants to be._

 _He's probably doing this on purpose so he doesn't have to talk to us._

 _Just wait til we get back to the lair, then we're going to have a chat._

Unfortunately for the three younger siblings, the minute Leo crossed the threshold, he ran up to his room and slammed the door.

Donatello raised an eye ridge at Leo's hasty retreat, as he bent over with his hands on his knees, attempting to catch his breath.

Mikey frowned as he stared up at Leo's closed bedroom door. "Or we can just talk about it in the morning."

Raph smacked his left fist into the palm of his right hand. "I say we go talk to him now and find out what the shell is going on!"

Donnie held up a hand. "Raph wait, we've got to give him time to cool down."

Raph whirled around to face his calm brother. He pulled a note from his belt and tossed it at the resident genius. Instinctively, Donnie reached up and snatched the item out of the air.

"Fearless is keeping something from us. The other day someone shot an arrow at him with this note. Then tonight those Foot Elite show up and start yapping at him in gibberish. I'm telling you Donnie, something is going on."

Curious, Donatello unfolded the note. "This is in Japanese Raph."

"So can you read it?"

Curious, Mikey peeked over Donnie's shoulder, inspecting the paper. "And the Foot Elite were talking to Leo in Japanese tonight."

Raph threw his hands up in the air. "Are either of you going to tell me what the shell everyone is saying?"

Feeling smug, Donnie answered. "Well, the note is easy. It says, 'You are still the Shredder's son.'"

Mikey added. "I didn't hear everything the Elite said to Leo. But they mentioned something about the clan you belong to?" Mikey began hopping from foot to foot. "Dudes, did you see Leo's arm? The dude's got a Foot Clan tattoo on his arm!"

Annoyed at this finding, Raph let out a growl. Donatello could not wipe the look of surprise from his face.

The look on his brothers faces caused Mikey to deflate like a balloon running out of air. He sat down heavily in the nearest chair. "You guys don't think Leo would…"

Donatello interrupted the orange turtle's bleak thoughts. "There could be more to this than we know right now. We can't jump to conclusions Mikey."

Raph crossed his arms in front of his plastron and glared at Donatello.

Overhearing the conversation Master Splinter walked into the room. It was time to intervene before things got out of hand.

In a calm voice, the father addressed his passionate son. "Donatello is right my son. Without all of the facts, you cannot jump to conclusions."

Raphael stared at Master Splinter as the tension radiated off of him. He wanted to protest but remained silent. The hot head had learned that if he questioned Master Splinter now, the only thing he would be rewarded with, were back flips or knuckle pushups in the dojo.

Frustrated Mikey asked. "You don't think Leo would leave us to rejoin the Foot, do you Master Splinter?"

All three brothers glanced at their sensei, who reached for the note in Donnie's hand. He read in silence, an unreadable expression on his face. Handing the note back to Donatello he turned to his youngest son. "Only time will tell my son. Leonardo must learn that when he has a problem he can turn to his family for help."

* * *

Alone in the safety of his bedroom, Leonardo whipped out his swords, clenching the hilts tightly. He wanted to lash out, to burn off some of his frustration from the evening. _I can't act out, the first loud crash and I'll have four family members bursting into this room._ Leo ground his teeth together as he forced himself to place the swords on the stand in his room. _How am I going to protect my family from the Foot Clan?_ He sat down on his meditation mat. After five minutes of shifting around, Leonardo let out a huff in frustration as he stared into the distance.

If there was one thing Leonardo knows, it is how the Foot Clan operates, especially against someone who has defected from the Foot Clan.

 _**Flashback**_

 _Leonardo struggled to contain his fear as he bowed his head low, kneeling before Master Shredder. Feeling the anger rolling off of his Master in waves, the young teen refused to meet his sensei's eyes._

 _The assignment had been simple. Find and kill a renegade foot solider. When someone initially joins the foot, they are given the opportunity to leave at any time. Complete allegiance to the clan must be earned, through years of hard work and dedication. As time passes, one's role increases along with one's responsibilities, including learning about the inner working of the organization. Stay with the Foot Clan long enough, and the solider hits the point of no return, it becomes a life-long membership. Any attempts to leave when in the higher ranks is met with only one outcome, death._

 _It was not the first time Leonardo had been ordered to take a life. But it had been the first time Leonardo was faced with the task to slay a friend._

 _The black masked turtle did not have many friends within the Foot Clan. His position as the Shredder's son caused many of his fellow soldiers to avoid him. When Yuto had joined the Foot Clan, he was only a few years older than Leonardo. Young and naïve, the young solider befriended the Shredder's son, before he learned the unspoken rules of the organization. Starved for companionship, Leonardo did nothing to stop the friendship as it developed over the years._

 _Yuto was a natural warrior and rose within the organization quickly. He had all the makings of becoming an Elite Guard one day. Until Yuto fell in love. Leonardo had watched his friend as he fell for a woman, who later became his wife. The young lovers started a family and Yuto began to struggle with his responsibilities between his old and new life. Suddenly, risking his life as a ninja was not as thrilling as the more subdued one of a father and husband._

 _Feeling trapped Yuto did the only thing he could think of, he ran. When Leonardo was assigned to enforce the Foot Clan's membership rules he was torn. Follow his Master's wishes or help his friend?_

 _Leonardo had thought the plan was foolproof. He beat up his old friend and warned him never to return to New York City. Then, after setting the young couples home on fire (and ensuring they actually got out safely) Leonardo returned to Foot Headquarters._

 _Leonardo knew the minute he fell to his knees before the Shredder that something went wrong. Somehow the Shredder had found out that Yuto was still alive, and it was all Leonardo's fault._

 _Leonardo continued to stare at the floor. Master Shredder was not known for his forgiving nature when one disobeyed._

 _The Shredder's voice was cold as he ordered. "Rise Leonardo."_

 _Leonardo's obedience was rewarded with a punch to the chin. The unexpected blow caused the scared teen to accidentally bite down on his lip, drawing blood._

 _Shredder circled the young ninja like a predator stalking its prey. "You have decided to disobey my direct order and let Yuto live, why?"_

 _Leonardo nodded weakly, Yes. Leo's response was almost too soft for the Shredder to hear. "He's my friend."_

 _But the Shredder had heard him. Enraged, Shredder struck his student again, this time with a slap to the face. The sound echoed off the walls as Leonardo fell to the side, thrown off balance by the force of the blow. Shredder turned back to his desk and pressed the intercom button. "Bring him in."_

 _The four members of the Elite Guard entered with Yuto among them. The rogue solider looked at Leonardo as he struggled in the grip of the Elite Guard. Yuto's wild eyes begged Leonardo for help._

 _The Shredder swiftly pulled a katana from the sheath on Leonardo's shell, causing the teen to flinch. The Foot Clan leader advanced on Yuto, the venom dripping from his words. "Defecting from the Foot Clan is punishable by death." Shredder struck out with the sword, slicing Yuto's right arm._

 _Instinctively Leonardo lunged forward to protect his friend. He was stopped by the Elite Guard's with the double bladed sword and trident._

 _The Shredder continued to slowly slice away at Yuto._

 _Leonardo struggled in the grip of Shiro and Saburo. But the Shredder's personal warriors had a grip like iron on the young student as they continued to hold him back._

 _With eyes filled without mercy, the Shredder turned and looked at his disobedient son. "Leonardo, now you will see what happens to those you befriend within the Foot Clan."_

 _**End flashback**_

After that day Leonardo no longer looked for friendship within the Foot Clan. He withdrew into himself instead. Shaken up by the memory, Leonardo stumbled to his bed and sat down hard. _What am I going to do? The Foot Elite are not going to rest until I'm either dead, or have taken my place within the clan. The Elite Guard will stop at nothing to restore order to the Foot._ Leo's eyes roamed his room and eyes fell upon a picture of his family. _My brothers, Master Splinter. I've got to protect my family._ Leonardo took another deep breath. The blue clad turtle moved to take a seat on his meditation mat. Closing his eyes, Leonardo took a deep breath and hoped he will find a solution during his meditation.

* * *

 **A/N: It looks like Leo's past as the Shredder's son is not going to go away too easily. The next chapter will pick up where this one left off, but it was getting so long, I had to break it somewhere. Virtual cotton candy to those who review!**


	7. Two Steps Backwards

**A/N: Thanks to the reviewers. Your reviews make me so happy and they keep my plot bunny moving forward. Thank your fellow reviewers for Klunk's cameo in this chapter. And as promised, this chapter picks up where the last one left off.**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics. Computer chatting is in bold.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own a single mutant or ninja turtle.**

* * *

Chapter 7-Two Steps Backwards

It had been a long night but Donatello couldn't sleep. After tossing and turning for the umpteenth time in the past hour, Donnie finally gave up. With a huff, Donatello left his warm bed and sat down at the desk in his room. Tapping the mouse, he woke his computer up from sleep mode.

When Donatello first rejoined with his brothers, the bo wielder quickly realized that each sibling contributed to the overall family's well-being in a unique way. Leonardo was the calm, focused leader, and overall big brother to the group. Raphael was the team's hot head and muscle, but he was also the most passionate brother. Raphael's independent nature sometimes drove him to argue with Leonardo, causing the red clad turtle to venture off alone. Yet the two eldest turtles shared one thing in common, both siblings were driven to protect and guide their younger brothers. Often Leo and Raph unconsciously paired up to safeguard their younger siblings.

Michelangelo's playfulness, empathy and easy-going nature allowed the youngest turtle to form a unique bond with his brothers. Hidden beneath every prank and joke was Mikey's commitment to ensuring the family remained close and happy.

And then there was Donatello. With his vast intellect and natural skills with electronics, Donnie contributed to his family's well-being by taking on the mantle of Mr. Fix It. Donnie's inventions made their home more comfortable, while his security measures ensured that the small clan would remain hidden in the sewers of New York City. But right now, Donnie was struggling with a more difficult problem, his eldest brother's behavior.

Donatello was brought out of his internal musings by an instant message on the computer screen.

 **Can't sleep Don?**

Donatello chastised himself for his oversight. _Aw shell, I forgot to turn off the instant messenger when I rebooted the computer._

Donnie stared at the message for a moment, pondering his options **.** _I really should just ignore her._ The frustrated teenager glanced around his darkened room. _But she was always so easy to talk to. And Mira's good with psychology. Perhaps she can shed some light on Leo's behavior?_

Before he could stop himself, Donatello's fingers took on a mind of their own as they flew across the keyboard. Soon Don was engrossed in recapping the sudden appearance of the Foot Clan from earlier that evening.

* * *

Michelangelo usually had no trouble falling asleep, except for tonight. He continued to stroke Klunk's soft, orange fur, as the small cat nestled against his side, purring like a locomotive. The orange masked turtle didn't understand how the day could turn sour so fast. _Today started out pretty awesome. April finally got to meet my amazing bros. And I sure kicked Raph's shell on Ape's gaming system back at the apartment._

 _Then those Foot Ninja showed up._ Mikey's eyes narrowed and he stopped petting Klunk. _They ruined everything._

Klunk let out a mew at the sudden lack of affection. Mikey whispered his apologies then resumed stroking his pet. "Sorry Klunk."

Klunk replied by placing one paw across Mikey's forearm. The orange turtle leaned in closer, seeking comfort for his heavy thoughts, as he nuzzled his beak into Klunk's soft fur.

* * *

Unable to sleep, Raphael glared daggers at the ceiling over his bed. _What I wouldn't give for some one on one time to bust some Foot Clan heads._ Raph picked up a rubber ball from the stand near his bed. Tossing the ball into the air, Raph was careful to make sure it did not thump against the ceiling before it fell back down into his open palm. Raph continued to toss, then catch the ball, keeping his hands busy as he thought about his time among the Triceritons.

Raphael favored speaking with his fists than with his words. Living among the Triceriton's Raph's personal speaking style fit in quite well, most of the time. When the Triceriton Civil War ended, Traximus had taken a new mantle, as the new leader of the Triceriton's. Unlike Zanramon, who ruled as an individual with an iron fist, Traximus shaped the Triceriton Republic so that the voices of many held the power. As the Triceriton's brought in a new ruling authority, Traximus had shown the impulsive turtle the power of the spoken word. _The backing of his fellow comrades helped Traximus during difficult times._ _The question is, how do I get Leonardo to trust me?_

* * *

The next morning Leonardo was the first turtle in the dojo. The blue ninja was currently working his way through an intermediate level kata as he warmed up for that morning's training session. He heard Master Splinter enter before he turned to face him. It was unusual for the Ninjitsu Master to enter the dojo so early before practice.

Finishing the kata, Leo turned and bowed his head. "Sensei."

Master Splinter nodded, than sat down on a meditation mat. "Leonardo, kneel."

Puzzled by the early morning interruption, Leonardo obediently did as he was ordered.

Master and student sat in silence for a moment. As a social butterfly, it was easy to get Michelangelo to talk about what was on his mind when troubled. But Splinter was still learning how to guide and discipline his older sons, including Leonardo. Splinter had learned that his eldest son preferred to keep his thoughts to himself, instead of talking them through with others. And while it was expected for a leader to sometimes shoulder the burden for his teammates, it was not expected for a brother to do so as well. Leonardo had to learn how to balance his responsibilities as the leader of their small clan, with drawing on the support of his family to help him when he was troubled. Keeping secrets not only affected Leonardo's judgment when leading his brothers, it also disrupted the camaraderie among his teammates.

Unsure of how to get through to the leader, Splinter started by prompting Leonardo to talk. "Leonardo, is there something you are keeping from your brothers?"

 _What is he talking about? It can't be about the Foot Clan, can it? But I haven't said anything and besides I can't ask my family for help with the Foot. No, better to keep this to myself._ Leonardo continued to stare at the floor as he lied to his father. "No sensei."

Splinter noticed the slight tension in the blue ninja's shoulders as he lied. _Ok, let's give this one more try._ "Are you certain Leonardo?"

Struggling to keep his face and body neutral, Leonardo continued with his lie. "Yes Master."

"I see." Splinter's tail whipped back and forth, a sign that he was dissatisfied with Leonardo's answer. _Questioning hasn't been working. Raphael responds to physical prodding, perhaps some knuckle pushups will get my son to open up?_

Deciding to try a different tactic, Splinter's voice was sharp as he barked his orders. "Twenty minutes. Knuckle push-ups. Now!"

Puzzled by the sudden punishment, Leonardo moved into push-up position.

As the blue clad turtle got into push-up position, he had to bite back a growl of frustration. _Sometimes, I just don't understand what Master Splinter wants from me!_

* * *

Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello entered the dojo to find Leonardo doing knuckle push-ups. Standing in front of him was an agitated Master Splinter.

Mikey recognized the punishment immediately. Splinter usually made him do push-ups or back flips when he spoke out of turn, or when he was lying. Mikey hated doing knuckle push-ups. If he had to be punished, Mikey preferred back-flips. _Gee I wonder what Leo did to anger Master Splinter?_

Splinter's ears flicked, detecting his sons entering the dojo.

"Michelangelo, assist your brother."

The orange clad turtle paused mid stride. "Sensei?"

Master Splinter turned to face Michelangelo, his voice stern. "Would you rather join Leonardo in his punishment instead?"

Mikey stammered his reply. "N-n-no S-Se-Sensei." The orange masked turtle quickly took his spot on Leo's shell as the push-ups continued.

Raphael and Donatello looked at each other.

"Donnie?"

Donatello shrugged his shoulders. "Don't look at me Raph, I walked in here the same time you did."

Splinter ignored his sons as he spoke to Leonardo. The blue masked turtle was sweating heavily. His arms were beginning to shake from Mikey's weight on his shell.

"Leonardo, do you care to change your answer?"

Leo let out a grunt before he responded. "Urgh. No Master."

Splinter's eyes narrowed. "I see." The frustrated father continued to circle his son. He noticed that Leonardo was starting to tire. _Perhaps some extra weight would convince him to start talking?_

"Raphael, switch places with Michelangelo."

Leonardo wanted to once again let out a groan of frustration. He didn't understand why Splinter was punishing him. At least when Master Shredder was angry with him, Leonardo knew right away exactly why he was in trouble. But with Splinter, it was a guessing game. The rat master expected his sons to figure out their error on their own. Leo began running through all the possible reasons why he could be in trouble. He had shown up for practice early. They were not seen by anyone outside of their enemies while on patrol. No one arrived back at the lair injured. Leonardo had not abandoned his duties as leader, his brothers were still under his protection. _Is it because of the notes from the Foot Clan? It can't be, I haven't show them to anyone. How could he know about them? Or maybe it was because of last night? But the Foot Elite were talking in Japanese. No one would have known what they were saying to me._

Leonardo finally let a groan escape him. His arms quivered from exhaustion and Raphael's added weight on his shell really wasn't helping.

Splinter continued to circle around the young leader. _My son, you do not have to shoulder these burdens alone. How do I convince you to share your past with your family?That it is ok to turn to us for help?_

Leonardo's stubborn streak was one of the many qualities that made him a fine leader. It was also going to lead the blue masked leader to injure himself before he would confess. Realizing that trying to force Leonardo to talk wasn't going to work, Splinter decided to change tactics once more. He would try to talk to Leonardo again after practice.

* * *

Recognizing that his sons all looked tired, Master Splinter led the small team through a light training session. After a long period of meditation, he directed the group through a series of katas. The ninjitsu master introduced two new one's at the end of the class.

Once the session was finished, Master Splinter summoned Leonardo to his room, preventing anyone else from questioning the eldest turtle.

Raph turned to his brothers. "What was all that about?"

Donatello had his hand cupping his chin as he mused outloud. "If I had to guess, I would say that it looks like Master Splinter is trying to get Leonardo to talk. Probably about the Foot Clan."

Mikey turned to the resident hot head, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to find out what he says."

Intrigued, Donatello asked. "How?"

Bounding away Mikey whispered over his shoulder. "By eavesdropping on Master Splinter and Leo."

Raph and Donnie scrambled after Mikey as he quietly headed towards Master Splinter's room.

* * *

Leonardo sat with his head bowed as he waited for his Master to speak. Leo tried not to tense up in anticipation of the confrontation he was sure was coming. After his earlier punishment, it was clear that Master Splinter was aware that Leonardo was hiding something. And Leonardo was not ready to talk about it. What Leo did not expect, was for Master Splinter to start speaking in riddles.

Master Splinter sat in front of his son. Taking a silent breath, he once again tried to get his eldest son to open up to his family. "My son, should you ever feel the burden of leader is more than you can bear alone, do not hesitate to call upon the strength of your brothers."

Leonardo looked up in confusion. "Master?"

Splinter leaned back on his heels as he looked into his son's eyes. "Tell me Leonardo, would you support one of your brothers during a time of need?"

Meeting his sensei's steady gaze with one of his own, Leo didn't even take a breath before responding. "Of course Sensei."

The old rat leaned forward and swiftly untied the cloth on Leo's bicep, exposing the symbol of the Foot Clan. "One cannot escape their past. Your past is a part of you my son. Yet how you chose to deal with it in the present, will decide your future."

Splinter leaned back, his black eyes stern. "Leonardo, a leader is responsible for bringing order to his team. Keeping secrets not only clouds a leader's judgment, it also impacts his fellow teammates."

Master Splinter's ear twitched as he detected the eavesdroppers. Then he focused his attention back to the bewildered teenager in front of him. "When you are ready, your family can help you. All you have to do, is let them."

Splinter let the silence linger, hoping his words would sink in before dismissing the young leader.

* * *

Distracted by his session with Master Splinter, Leonardo silently entered his room. Leo was oblivious to the three figures hiding in the shadows.

Unfortunately for the three eavesdroppers, Master Splinter was not distracted. His stern tone rang out. "Michelangelo! Donatello! Raphael! Dojo, now!"

Three guilty turtles emerged from the shadows and walked towards the dojo.

* * *

Under Master Splinter's orders, everything in the lair returned almost back to normal. Tension in the air continued to build, yet no one questioned Leonardo about the Foot Clan. And Leonardo continued to keep his past and his thoughts to himself.

Visits to April's became a weekly occurrence, along with Donatello's trips to a local junkyard for supplies. The team of four continued their nightly patrols from the rooftops of the city. While the activity on the streets continued to escalate, the turtles rarely ran across the Foot Clan during their patrols. Nightly skirmishes involved the Mob, The Purple Dragons or stopping various other smaller organizations trying to gain control of the city.

With the turtles fighting skills as a team progressing well, Master Splinter turned to strengthening the bond between the brothers as a family. And this included sharing in common, daily chores. _If my sons feel like they are part of a family and can trust one another, perhaps they will stop trying to hide their pasts from each other._

* * *

 **A/N: It looks like Splinter and Leo have more in common than they think, they are both stubborn. In the next chapter it's time for some brotherly bonding time, don't you agree? Virtual banana split sundaes to those who review.**


	8. Two Steps Forward

**A/N: A big thank you to those who have reviewed! Now onto a chapter full of brotherly bonding time.**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.**

 **Disclaimer: Ownership of the turtles is not mine.**

* * *

Chapter 8-Two Steps Forward

Michelangelo was bustling around the kitchen. He attempted to keep one eye on his assistant, while also keeping one eye on the homemade sauce he was simmering.

"Now that the water's boiling, go ahead and add the pasta. Just be sure to…"

 _Splash!_

Water overflowed down the sides as pasta was dumped into the pot in one big lump.

"…add it in small chunks."

Mikey let out a sigh as he grabbed a towel and started mopping up the mess.

His assistant moved to help but Mikey held up his hand to stop him. "Bro, I've got this."

Michelangelo had quickly realized that his older brother was not very adept in the kitchen, at least not with anything requiring the use of the stove. The orange clad turtle pointed at the vegetables on the counter. "Why don't you start chopping up those vegetables for the salad instead?"

The blue clad turtle moved to do as he was ordered. Leo was thrilled that his youngest brother had asked him to spend some one on one time together. And it didn't take long for Leo to realize that Mikey's skills in the kitchen were far superior to his own.

Mikey shook his head and grinned at his brother's shell. "I don't get you bro. You can execute kata after kata with the utmost of precision, but in the kitchen, you are a complete mess."

Leonardo had not forgotten Splinter's punishments and subsequent lecture about hiding his past from his brothers. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to bond with his sibling, Leo looked over at the puzzled youngster. Leo shrugged his shoulders as he replied. "I never had to cook with the Foot."

Having returned to the stove, Mikey almost dropped the spoon into the sauce he was stirring. This was the first time Leo had mentioned the Foot Clan since their impromptu attack returning from April's apartment. _Maybe he's finally ready to talk? I better tread carefully though. Good thing I excel at being the innocent one._

Seizing the opportunity, Mikey questioned. "What, they don't have kitchens at Foot Headquarters?"

Leo snorted, shaking his head. "Of course they do."

Hoping he wasn't pressing the issue too hard, Mikey prodded. "Soooo, you never cooked because?"

The open ended question hung in the air. Looking over his shoulder again, Leo was startled by Mikey's innocent expression. The orange masked turtle was genuinely curious as to why Leo had never learned how to cook.

Leo shifted his weight, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. "It wasn't my job to learn how to cook. People were assigned to do the cooking, just as there were people assigned to do the fighting."

An awkward silence filled the air. Hoping to get his brother talking again Mikey started to ramble. "Master Splinter's always encouraged me to learn a variety of skills. Not just inside the dojo, but outside too. Cooking, cleaning, heck I even know how to do the laundry." Mikey chuckled. "Although I don't have to do that one very often."

Mikey pressed. "Didn't you ever want to learn to cook anyway?"

* * *

Already two cups of caffeine behind for the day, Donatello headed towards the kitchen. Almost entering, he paused when Mikey's question reached his ears.

"Didn't you ever want to learn to cook anyway?"

Donnie stopped just outside the doorway and leaned a little closer.

Finished with his workout in the dojo, Raph proceeded to the kitchen. He noticed Donatello hovering just outside the doorway. Puzzled by his brother's hesitation to enter the kitchen, Raph walked up behind him. "Donnie, why're you?"

Donnie shushed him. "Quiet Raph, I think Mikey's got Leo talking about the Foot."

Raph raised an eye ridge. "Really?"

Both turtles leaned a little closer, hoping to capture every word.

* * *

Leo knew that Mikey was trying to connect with him. His questions were out of personal interest and not to pry. But talking about his time with the Foot Clan always grated on his nerves. Biting back an outburst he turned to face his inquisitive brother. "What I _wanted_ , didn't matter Mikey. In the Foot Clan, each role is predefined. A solider does as he is ordered, not as he desires."

Inadvertently taking a step back, Mikey held up his hands in defense. "Sorry bro, I didn't mean to pry."

Leo waved a hand, cutting his brother off before he could start rambling again. Leo's eyes softened. "It's okay Mikey. I know you didn't mean any harm." He sat down heavily in a nearby chair and stared at the cloth tied to his arm. Running a hand over his face, he continued in a calmer voice. "You've got to understand Mikey. I was raised as the Shredder's son. He was not only my Master, but also my surrogate father. I didn't know I had brothers. I never realized that Saki wasn't my real father. It never crossed my mind that there could be any life for me outside of the one I had with the Foot Clan."

Fingering the cloth tied around his arm, Leo took a deep breath and continued. "Pursuing something for my own desires, simply never happened. I was trained to be a ninja, my role was espionage, infiltration, sabotage, and assassin. Within the Foot Clan, I had a purpose, a home. Everyone saw me as the Shredder's son. He raised me to be his successor, to lead the Foot Clan in his place."

Mikey turned off the pot of sauce. He sat down across the table from Leo. The usually happy go lucky turtle's mood turned serious. "That night on the rooftop, those two Foot Elite?"

Leo's face clouded over. He began to rise out of his chair, shaking his head. "Forget about it Mikey."

 _No way, he's finally opening up. I'm not letting him off that easily._ Mikey's eyes narrowed at his brother as he spat out in Japanese. "You're not the only one who knows Japanese, Leonardo. They want you to come back don't they? That night on the rooftop. Those two Foot Elite. They said the clan you belong to."

Shocked at Michelangelo's outburst in Japanese, Leonardo froze. _What? No, he's got to understand._ Leo's face became stern.

Recognizing what everyone has affectionately dubbed Leo's "leader face," Mikey moved around the table faster than Leonardo could react. The angry orange turtle grabbed his brother's arm. He ripped off the cloth, tightening his grip as Leo tried to shrug him off. With venom dripping from his words, Mikey hissed at his older brother in Japanese. "You aren't their solider anymore Leo. You are not the Shredder's son. You are Splinter's son. Your place. Your clan. Is here. With us. Your brothers!"

* * *

Donatello was struggling to keep up with Mikey and Leo's conversation, while serving as Raph's personal translator at the same time.

"We really need to teach you Japanese Raph."

Even though it would not help to decipher the words, Raph leaned closer.

Mikey's frustrated voice rang out in Japanese.

"Do you need us to get tattoos to prove to you what clan you belong to now?"

Donnie's eyes grew wide at Mikey's outburst. _Shell no, I am not getting a tattoo! Time to intervene._

Donatello shot out of his spot and calmly walked into the kitchen, with Raph hot on his heels. Donnie ignored the tension between the eldest and youngest as he strolled to the coffee pot. "Hey guys, will dinner be ready soon?"

Raph's jaw fell open. _He's seriously going to ignore this?_ His eyes locked with Donnie's, who gave a slight shake of his head. _Not now Raph._

Raph gritted through his teeth as he reached for the dishes. "I'll just start setting the table."

With his brothers present, Mikey released the death grip he had on Leo's arm. The angry turtle stomped over to the stove to grab the pot of sauce.

Leo shook his arm in an attempt to jump start circulation in it again. He stiffly began serving the pasta to the silent group.

* * *

After dinner Donatello and Raphael agreed to keep Michelangelo and Leonardo separated for the remainder of the evening. Donnie had Leo accompany him to the junk yard, while Mikey and Raph sparred in the dojo back at the lair.

Unsure how to handle his brooding brother, silence fell between the two as Donnie rummaged through the junk. Leo was absently rubbing at the mark underneath the cloth on his arm, while keeping an eye on their surroundings. Deciding the direct approach would be best, Donnie addressed Leo in Japanese. "We all know what's under there, why do you still keep it covered?"

Ignoring the question Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Is there anyone in this family who doesn't know Japanese?"

Donnie smirked as he turned to face his brother. "Raphael doesn't. It's driving him crazy."

Leo snorted.

Switching back to English, Donatello wasn't going to let his question be ignored. "You didn't answer the question bro."

Sensing a set-up, Leo jumped down from his perch, landing softly in front of his brother. "It's a part of my past, Donnie. I'm not proud of it."

"We all have a past Leo. And we've all done things I'm sure we don't want each other to know about. But our past is still part of who we are."

Leo crossed his arms in front of his plastron. "Now you're sounding like Master Splinter."

Donnie nodded his head. "He's a wise man, umm, person, I mean err, rat."

"I get it Donnie."

Uncomfortable with the focus on himself, Leo turned the tables. "What about yourself, you don't talk about your past either."

Donatello stopped his rummaging to turn and look at his blue masked brother. He spread his arms wide as he made a slow circle. "I've spent ten years living among a technologically advanced race during my time with the Utroms. Look at me now. Rummaging through trash and junk to find spare parts for my inventions." He stopped and looked into Leo's eyes. "It hasn't exactly been an easy adjustment."

Leo raised an eye ridge. _I never thought about how much of a change this has to be for Donnie._

Donatello gave a sad smile as he turned to continue his search among the rubble. "I don't want to dwell on what I used to have."

Letting out a sigh, the clang of metal rang through the air as Donnie dropped the gadget in his hand. He turned to face his sword wielding brother again. The pain was evident in his voice. "Each of us gave up something to rejoin as a family. You. Me. Raph. We chose to leave our old lives behind."

Leonardo's eyes shined with understanding. "You didn't just walk away from their technology when you left the Utrom, did you Donnie?"

The bo wielder shook his head, his voice softening. "No."

Leonardo walked forward. He placed his hand on Donnie's shoulder, attempting to offer comfort through his touch. "You left someone behind?"

Donatello let out a sigh. "Yeah, I did."

Leonardo pressed on. "An Utrom?"

Donatello shook his head, _Yes_.

Trying to keep his emotions in check, the purple ninja started to tremble. Leonardo embraced his brother in a hug. "This person was special to you?"

Donatello leaned into his brother's embrace, drawing strength and comfort from Leonardo's touch. His voice was low, causing Leo to strain as he listened.

"Mira, she was one of the Utrom's who worked in the research labs. We collaborated on a few projects. She became my best friend."

Donatello paused for a moment, reluctant to continue.

Leonardo's voice was soft. "She wasn't just your best friend was she?"

Donnie shook his head, _No._ "We started dating. At first things were great. But then eventually, I saw Mira's other side. She can be a bit, um, well possessive. She gets jealous easily. She started lashing out, causing problems with the fellow researchers."

Stepping out of the embrace, Donnie's frustration showed in his eyes. "Eventually I just broke it off. But I missed that friendship. Ever since, I've struggled with what to do. I know I should stay away, but sometimes I just can't seem to stop myself."

Leonardo's eyes narrowed as he caught on. "Mira didn't leave with the Utrom did she?"

"No."

Letting out a sigh, Leonardo shook his own head. "Donnie, I can't really give you advice on relationships."

The bo wielder shrugged. "I know that Leo. Just give me time. I'll figure out what to do eventually."

Suddenly Donnie's eyes grew wide, his brain had caught on to Leo's strategy. The blue leader had effectively shifted the conversation's focus. Leo had gotten Donatello talking about his past, instead of talking about his own. _He really is a brilliant strategist._ "But we were talking about you bro."

Leonardo let out a sly smile. _I should have expected that Donnie would catch on to me sooner or later._

Donatello attempted to get Leo talking anyway. "Leo, every day we are together, is another day we chose to stay. We aren't just a clan of warriors. We are a family."

Leo walked over and squeezed Donnie's shoulder. "Did anyone ever mention that you are one smart turtle Donnie?"

Pride at the unexpected compliment gleamed in Don's eyes. "It's happened maybe once or twice."

* * *

Raphael blocked Mikey's punch as he spoke. "Me and Donnie, we overheard you and Leo talking."

Michelangelo narrowed his eyes. "So much for privacy around here."

Raphael snorted. "Both of you were talking in the kitchen. It's a public place bro."

Mikey ducked under the punch as Raph continued. "You got Fearless talking about his time with the Foot Clan. That's better than any of us have been able to do with him."

The orange ninja huffed in frustration as he flipped backwards from his opponent. "A lot of good that did."

With some distance between them, Mikey broke out of his fighting stance, putting the sparring session on hold. "He hides everything from us. He doesn't talk about his time with the Foot, not really anyway. He hasn't even told us about those notes they keep sending him. Why? It's like Leo still thinks he's part of the Foot Clan or something."

Raphael broke his fighting stance. The two turtles bowed before the red ninja walked closer to Mikey. "Easy bro. I'm sure that's not true. Leo. Me. We both try to protect you and Donnie."

Raph cuffed Mikey on the back of the head. "It's up to us elders to protect you two youngsters."

Mikey looked up at his bigger brother, clearly frustrated. "Leo is just so hard to read sometimes."

Raph nodded as he squeezed Mikey's shoulder. "I'll agree with you on that bro."

But things rarely keep Michelangelo upset for too long.

A wide grin spread across Mikey's face. "You and Leo really care about this family huh?"

Relieved that Mikey's mood was finally improving, Raphael rolled his eyes. "Of course knuckle head."

Mikey's eyes turned mischievous. "And you want to protect us?"

Noticing the evil glint in the orange turtle's eyes, Raph warily answered. "Yeah."

The orange masked turtle bolted for the dojo door as a water balloon hit Raphael in the plastron. Mikey's voice rang out. "But who will protect you from us?"

Raphael let out a growl as he chased after the prankster. "Mikey!"

* * *

 **A/N: So, we finally learned a bit more about Donnie's computer friend. Were you surprised Donnie has an ex he can't let go of? Sometimes the smartest people struggle the most with people. I think Raphael and Leonardo are due for a brotherly moment, don't you? Virtual peanut butter filled pretzels to those who review!**


	9. Break Through

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to the awesome reviewers. You really brighten my day.**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.**

 **Disclaimer: I am one hundred percent certain that I do not own the turtles.**

* * *

Chapter 9-Break Through

Four battered and weary ninja turtles walked silently through the sewer tunnels. The activity on the streets continued to rise, which meant their nightly patrols were longer and filled with one skirmish after the next.

Raphael and Michelangelo followed Donnie into his lab for some minor first aid. Leonardo headed for Master Splinter's room to report on the nights events.

As he walked to Splinter's room, the blue banded turtle fingered the note in his belt. The Foot Clan had once again sent a note to Leonardo, attempting to remind the young leader of his duty to his former clan. Leo made a fist as he walked, his eyes narrowing. _The Foot are not going to wait much longer to make their move. I have to make my decision soon._

Raising his hand to knock, Splinter's voice rang out to Leo.

"Enter my son."

Walking into the room, Leo immediately knelt and gave his sensei the traditional bow.

Splinter's eyes ran over the battle weary warrior. He noticed the cloth that usually covered Leonardo's tattoo had been moved lower on his arm. Blood continued to flow from the wound, darkening the cloth. "You are injured my son."

Leo glanced up at his father. He shrugged. "It's nothing."

Splinter had learned by now that Leonardo was often reluctant to ask for help with his injuries. "Be sure to visit Donatello when we are finished."

Leonardo could not hide the exhaustion from his voice. "Yes, sensei."

The concerned father reached out and squeezed his son's shoulder. "And then you are to get some rest my son. Practice will be canceled for tomorrow morning."

Leo opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by the Ninjitsu master. "Leonardo, you need to rest. So do your brothers."

Splinter noticed Leonardo biting his lip, as he attempted to stop himself from arguing with his master.

Splinter let out a small sigh. "Leonardo, I am not the Shredder. This is not the Foot Clan. You can speak freely here. What troubles you my son?"

Leonardo's eyes met Splinter's. The blue ninja hesitated for a moment, before speaking softly, his words tumbling out. "Every night, the fighting on the streets. It's increasing Master Splinter. And I can't help but feel like it's all our fault. All my fault. We're the ones who killed the Shredder. We left the Foot Clan without a leader. Someone needs to bring order to the Foot. And now the war on the streets is rising. We need to do something sensei."

The passion and frustration shined in Leonardo's eyes.

Splinter let out a deep breath. "My son, you and your brothers already do something. Every night you go out on patrol you help the innocent. We cannot be held responsible for the actions of other clans. We must wait until the war on the streets stems and someone has gained control."

Finally losing his composure, Leonardo barked out. "But Master Splinter!"

Splinter raised his voice. "Enough!"

Leo's eyes glanced downward, ashamed at his loss of control.

Master Splinter cupped Leo's chin, causing Leo's eyes to meet his own. "My son, you are the leader of this clan. You are a part of this family. You are not responsible for the war on the streets. The humans must figure it out on their own. Understand?"

Leonardo mumbled his reply. "Yes, sensei."

"Go see Donatello about that arm. Then get some rest."

Leonardo nodded once, then rose and left the room.

* * *

Michelangelo's cuts were minor. Donatello quickly cleaned them up, then sent the orange masked turtle on his way. One of Raphael's cuts ran a little deeper. The red ninja sat patiently as Donatello threaded the needle.

"I'm sorry Raph, but I don't have anything to numb the area."

Raphael shrugged. "I'm fine Donnie, just patch me up so I can get some sleep."

The silence was awkward. Donatello noticed Raphael trying not to shift, as he struggled to keep his attention off of what Donnie was doing to his arm. Trying to distract his brother, the purple medic began talking about his struggles to adapt to living among the technologically advanced Utrom. Relieved for the distraction, Raphael began to detail on some of his struggles living during a Civil war.

Raphael's deep voice continued. "We are real lucky to have you Donnie. The treatment prisoners were subjected to by the Triceriton Republic were particularly cruel for anyone held captive by Commander Mozar. He was Zanramon's right hand soldier."

Donatello tied up the last knot and cut the thread. He knew he shouldn't pry, not when Raphael had already shared so much of his past. But Donnie's curiosity won. "Were you a prisoner Raph?"

Raph's eyes burned with fire as he gazed at his concerned brother. "Let's just say I owe Commander Mozar a little payback."

Raphael rose from the bed and began flexing his arm, testing the stitches. Donnie swatted him. "Stop that Raph, I just finished!"

Raphael reached out and squeezed his brother's shoulder. "Thanks again Donnie. For everything."

* * *

Leonardo shifted in his bed. Donatello had stitched up the cut on his arm, but the bruising was deep. Leo eyed the pain medication still on his nightstand. The injured turtle was tempted, but he hated the foggy brain that he got from taking them. Determined to fall asleep without them, Leo shifted again, struggling to get comfortable.

Movement in the shadows near his door caught Leonardo's attention. Surprised that any of his brothers would still be up, Leo softly called out. "Come in."

Michelangelo entered his eldest brother's room. His eyes roamed around Leo's area and fell upon his brother on the bed. The room was bathed in the soft glow of a candle left burning after his evening meditation. Without his gear or mask on Leonardo looked younger and more vulnerable in the soft light. Michelangelo's eyes fell to the gauze on his brother's arm. His eyes were filled with guilt. It was his fault Leonardo was injured. Mikey had gotten too distracted during their skirmish. Already tired, Leo was slow to react. He ended up blocking the blow meant for Mikey with his arm instead of his sword.

Leo's voice broke Mikey out of his thoughts. "Mikey, everything ok?"

The guilty turtle cleared his throat as he approached his brother. In his hand was a glass of water.

Ever since that day in the kitchen, when Mikey got angry about Leonardo's Foot Clan past, the two brothers have tip toed around each other. The youngest was used to arguing with Raphael, heck it happened all the time. The resident prankster has even bantered with Donatello from time to time. But Mikey was still struggling to understand Leonardo. He wasn't sure what the eldest turtle was thinking most of the time.

He cleared his throat again, handing the glass to his older brother. "I thought you could use this bro."

Leonardo sat up, taking the water. He patted the mattress, inviting Mikey to sit down. "Thanks Mikey."

As he sat, Michelangelo grabbed the pain medication off the night stand. He handed it to his brother. "I think you should take these."

Leo had opened his mouth to protest. The pleading look on Mikey's face caused him to promptly close it. "Thanks."

Shifting on the bed Michelangelo's voice was low as he stared at the floor. "I'm sorry about your arm."

Leo swallowed the pills, drained the glass, and then handed it back to his brother. He reached out and squeezed Mikey's arm. Leo's eyes were firm as he gazed at his brother. "I'm fine Mikey. It's just a scratch. Don't worry about it."

Knowing it wouldn't take long for the pills to take effect, the orange turtle rose from the bed. Facing away from his brother he continued. "And I'm sorry for the other day in the kitchen about the Foot."

Laying down, Leo shifted over and patted the bed again. "Mikey, come here."

The affectionate turtle didn't need any further encouragement. He quickly climbed back on the bed and snuggled next to his brother. Leonardo wrapped his arms around Michelangelo, his hold strong and firm.

Leo began rubbing small circles on Mikey's shell. His voice was gentle. "I'm ok Mikey. It's just a scratch."

Getting emotional, Mikey shuddered in his brother's embrace. His voice was strained. "I'm so sorry Leo. It's my fault you were injured. I should've been paying attention. I just don't want to lose you bro. I finally got everyone back. We're a family again."

Leo hushed his brother. "Mikey, I'm right here. Raph and Donnie are here too. We are together again."

Michelangelo rolled over, making sure his body still touched his brother's. Leonardo hugged his youngest brother. A comfortable silence fell across the siblings. Michelangelo absently ran his fingers over his brother's skin. Hearing his brother's breathing deepen Mikey's voice was low. "But those stupid Foot Elite. The Foot Clan won't leave you alone."

Leo's words slurred as the pain pills took effect. "Mikey, let me worry about the Foot Clan. I won't let them harm this family."

Leonardo had already fallen asleep and did not hear Mikey whisper his reply. "But who protects you?"

* * *

Settling down on his meditation mat, Splinter began lighting the nearby candles. He paused upon hearing the approaching footsteps. The heavy gait told the perceptive rodent that Raphael had stopped outside his doorway.

"Raphael, enter my son."

 _I've gotta learn how he does that._ Raphael walked into the room. Kneeling he respectfully bowed before his father.

Curious as to the unexpected visit from his most passionate son, Splinter asked. "What troubles you, my son?"

Raphael continued to stare at the floor as he struggled to organize his thoughts. _I'm not sure how to do this._

Splinter began running through Raphael's actions the past few days. The long looks he would sneak to the young leader when Raph thought no one was watching. _Only one brother could have Raphael this upset._ Splinter tested his theory. "Leonardo?"

Raphael's head snapped up in surprise at the correct guess.

Splinter shifted his weight to get more comfortable. "Relax my son."

Leaning back on his heels, Raph let out a deep breath he had been holding. "It's just that Leo's opened up to Mikey. He's even been talking to Donnie." Raph's eyes blazed with emotion. His hands clenched into fists as he struggled to voice his frustration. "Yet the Foot Clan try to contact him every time we leave the lair. And he tells no one about it. I'm supposed to be his second in command. And we have the most similar pasts. Why doesn't he talk about it? Ask us for help? Ask me for help?"

Splinter looked at his frustrated son. Leonardo was trying to protect his family by keeping to himself. Raphael was motivated to protect the small clan through confronting the problem head on so that it could be disposed of. Splinter had to suppress the smile that tried to cross his face. His two eldest sons were more alike than they will probably ever admit too.

"Traximus was the leader for a rebellion, was he not?"

Raph's reply was immediate. "Yes."

"And you were a part of his army?"

"Of course." Warming up to the topic Raph continued. "The rebellion fought for years to over throw Zanramon's rule. The Civil War almost destroyed the Triceritons."

"And during that time, did you ever do anything you were not proud of? Kill, steal, spy?"

Raph's eyes grew hard, not following his sensei's point. Growing defensive his voice got rough. "Of course, it was war."

Master Splinter held up his hand to calm his hot headed son. "And how much of this past have you admitted to your brothers?"

Raph tilted his head at the question as he thought about it. "Well I've talked to Donnie a little."

Splinter prodded. "And what about Michelangelo or Leonardo?" Raphael shook his head, _No._

The red masked turtle's eyes widened. He was starting to follow Splinter's train of thought. "Not too much of it."

"Because?"

Raph lowered his voice, his tone softening. "They don't need to know everything I've done. I'm not proud of it." He paused. Splinter patiently waited for Raphael to continue. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he mumbled. "I want to protect them."

 _They are so much alike._ Master Splinter leaned forward and put a gentle hand on his son's arm. "You and Leonardo each seek to do the same thing. To protect your brothers. But a team is only as good as those who lead it. You and Leonardo have the same goal, but do so differently. And those differences complement each other, it brings strength to the team, to this family."

Master Splinter gave the red ninja a sympathetic look. "When you two were younger, you were the best of friends. You supported each other. You understood each other. Now you two must learn to do so again."

Raphael looked at his father, the frustration evident in his face. "But how Master Splinter?"

With firm eyes Master Splinter replied. "By doing the one thing you both hate most of all, coming out of your shells. Sharing your thoughts with each other."

* * *

Raph hovered by the doorway of the dojo and leaned against the frame. He hooked one foot in front of the other near the ankle. With his arms crossed over his plastron, the red clad turtle watched his older brother. The sound of Leo's swords cutting the air carried to Raph's ears. Raph had learned from his years fighting in the Triceriton's civil war, that sometimes looks can be deceiving. While he wasn't exactly a weak turtle, Leo still didn't have Raph's strength or bulk. But the blue ninja more than made up for that with speed and grace. His movements were the exact opposite of Raphael's. It was evident to anyone watching Leo that hours upon hours of practice had made the sword wielding turtle's strikes swift and fatal. Already, Leo was a young master with the dual blades. Performing a complex kata, Leo looked like he was dancing, executing the complicated routine with ease. Yet Raph also knew that behind those seemingly effortless strikes, jabs and blocks, lay lethal precision and power.

One word kept rolling over in Raphael's mind. _Lethal._ Leo's confession to Mikey in the kitchen about his life within the Foot Clan a few days ago had confirmed it. The second oldest was not the only one in the family who had taken a life. _Maybe that's how I can bring him out of his shell. Show Leo that we share something in common._ Satisfied with his plan, Raph stepped forward, announcing his presence to the lone turtle in the room.

* * *

Leo had his eyes closed, his mask turned backwards, as he executed a complex kata with his twin katana. Detecting Raph's presence in the room, Leo continued with the routine. Once he was finished, Leo turned his mask around and with his usual grace sheathed his swords. Facing his brother, Leo raised an eye ridge at the determined look on the red clad turtle's face. "Something on your mind Raph?"

Raph pulled the sais from his belt and gave them an experimental twirl. "Up for some sparring bro?"

Always interested in training Leo reached for his swords. "Anytime."

Raph twirled the sais once more, before placing them on a nearby bench. "No weapons."

Puzzled, Leo stared at Raph for a moment. When it came to weapons, Leo's skills were ahead of his brothers, although Donnie and Mikey were not far behind him. Yet in ground fighting, Raph's strength and size often had him besting his bro's. _Well, Master Splinter says that a ninja should be just as skilled with weapons as without._ With a shrug, Leo walked over and placed his swords next to Raphael's sais. He then removed the shuriken from his belt, again placing them near the sais. If things got heated Leonardo didn't want the temptation.

With his back to his younger brother, Leo did not see Raph's grin as he removed his sword harness.

Moving to the center of the room, the two opponents bowed. Noticing Raph's offensive stance, Leo immediately went into defensive mode as he blocked Raph's attacks.

At first, the only sounds in the dojo were the grunts from each opponent as they sparred. Once he noticed the determined look in his brother's eyes, Raphael broke the silence. "Forty-seven."

With all of his attention focused on deflecting Raph's advances, Leo almost stumbled at the abrupt statement.

"What?"

Never breaking his stride, Raph repeated himself, then continued. "Forty-seven, Triceritons. How many for you bro?"

Now completely distracted by his brothers talking, Leo was easily thrown to the ground, enabling Raph to pin him in a lock. Raph pressed his weight into Leo's plastron, at the same time he pressed with his question. "How many people have you killed Leo?"

 _Is he crazy? What is he doing?_ Leo's eyes narrowed dangerously as he shimmied, trying to free himself. Through clenched teeth he growled. "Let me go Raph."

Shifting his weight and adjusting his grip, Raph strengthened his hold, continuing to press downward. The red masked turtle returned his brother's hatred filled gaze with an unwavering look of his own. "Not until you answer the question."

Leo tried to wiggle again, but Raph's grip was like iron. His only way out, was to answer the question. The problem was, Leo didn't actually know. After a while, he had stopped counting.

Leo mumbled in a voice almost too soft for Raph to hear. "I don't know."

Unsure if he heard his brother correctly, but satisfied that Leo was finally answering, Raph immediately released his hold. "You don't know?"

Leo leapt to his feet, sorrow and anger flashing across his eyes. "I don't know Raph." Running a hand across his face, the tension radiated off of the blue clad turtle as his breathing increased. His normally calm voice came out shaky. "After a while, I just stopped counting."

Raphael noticed his usually composed brother starting to shake. Surprised by the abrupt change Raph stared at his shaking leader for a moment. _Well it always works with Mikey to calm me down._ In a rare display of affection, Raph engulfed his upset brother in a hug. Leo tensed at the sudden contact. Raph started to gently run his hands back and forth along Leo's shell. Relaxing slightly, Leo's muffled voice reached his ears. "What kind of turtle does that make me?"

Thrilled that his brother was finally opening up to him, Raph started rubbing circles along his brother's carapace. "Leo, it's alright. You ain't the only one whose killed bro. The Triceriton's had a civil war while I was with Traximus. There's plenty I've seen and done that I ain't proud of."

Tensing up, Leo tried to push out of the hug. Raph held him firmly for a second, before letting him go. Waving his arms around Leo raised his voice. "But that's the problem Raph. You were in a war! I wasn't. I merely followed the Shredder's orders!"

Raph interrupted before his brother could continue to beat himself up. "And in doing so you showed yourself to be a loyal soldier. How is that any different than what I did? You followed the Shredder's orders. I followed Traximus's. I don't see the difference."

Crossing his arms across his plastron, Raph took Leo's silence as a sign to continue. _It's time to get to the real issue._ "And now you've got the Foot running around, sending secret messages. You ain't alone against them Leo. You've got brothers now. You've got me. I told you when we were kids, I've got your back bro. I've always got your back. That hasn't changed."

Emotionally drained, Leo sunk to the floor where he stood. Placing his elbows on his knees, Leo rested his head in his hands. "Raph, I'm supposed to be the leader. To have the answers. But right now, I don't know what to do."

Raph sat down beside him. "No one can be expected to have the answers all the time bro. Let me help you. But you've got to trust me. I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

Leo took a deep breath before looking over at Raph. He pulled a note from the belt at his waist and handed it to his brother.

Raph unfolded the note and glared at Leonardo. "You know I don't understand Japanese Leo."

Leo spoke the words first in Japanese, then repeated them in English.

'Leaders do not abandon their clan.'

Raph raised an eye ridge as he folded the note. He handed the note back to Leo. For a short while, the two brothers sat in silence.

Lost in his thoughts, Raph started adding up Leo's notes and recent conversations.

'You are still the Shredder's son.'

'Remember what clan you belong to.'

"Everyone saw me as the Shredder's son."

"He raised me to be his successor, to lead the Foot Clan in his place."

'Leaders do not abandon their clan.'

Eyes wide with realization, Raphael turned to Leo. "There never going to leave you alone, are they?"

Leo did nothing to hide the desperation in his voice, as he spoke to Raphael first in Japanese, then repeated again in English.

'One does not walk away from the Foot Clan.'

Raphael let out a chuckle. "I should've realized it sooner."

Confused, Leonardo looked at him. "Raph?"

An evil grin crossed Raphael's face as he leaned back on his hands. "You know one of the reasons why the Triceriton civil war lasted for so long?"

Leo shook his head, _No._

"Spies. At first no one even considered that a Triceriton would act as a spy. They are a straight forward race. Motivated by the thrill of battle. But after a while, it became apparent that something else was going on. Attacks on both sides were constantly foiled. It was like the enemy always knew what the other side was thinking. No one could gain the upper hand."

Raphael shifted his weight, then continued. "Eventually Traximus found out that his second in command, Commander Mozar, was a spy for Zanramon. He was feeding our battle plans to the enemy. But instead of calling out the Commander, Traximus tried a different strategy. He used the spy to his advantage. Began feeding him false information. Ultimately this misdirection gave the rebels the upper hand. We were able to overthrow Zanramon, ending his rule and the war."

 _If I cannot avoid leading the Foot Clan, perhaps I can use that to our advantage?_ Leo hummed in thought.

Recognizing the contemplative look on Leonardo's face Raphael rose to his feet. The blue ninja didn't move as Raph grabbed his sais and exited the dojo.

* * *

 **A/N: This was a busy chapter; all of the brother's are finally opening up to each other, we got to learn a little about Raphael's past, and Mikey and Leo made up. In the next chapter, April returns and the brother's meet someone for the first time. Until then, thanks for reading. Virtual slices of pineapple upside down cake to those who review!**


	10. Never Letting Go

**A/N: A big thank you to those who have reviewed! Your reviews really motivate my plot bunny.**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics. Computer chatting is in bold.**

 **Disclaimer: Last time I checked my email, I still did not own the turtles.**

* * *

Chapter 10-Never Letting Go

Raphael didn't falter in his series of punches as he observed his brother entering the dojo out of the corner of his eye. With a frown on his face, Donnie pulled the bo from the holder on his back. The purple clad turtle gave his staff a few experimental twirls as he headed towards a far corner. Raph let a smirk cross his features once Donnie was out of sight. _It's nice to see I'm not the only one who gets in trouble for a change._ Letting out a huff, Donatello took up a fighting stance and began to work his way through a series of katas.

Sitting in an opposite corner of the room was Leonardo, his eyes closed. The blue masked turtle tried to block out the thumps from Raph's punches against the heavy bag. And he tried to ignore the grunts from Donnie as he worked through his punishment from Master Splinter. Distracted during the day's earlier practice, the bo wielder had received a stern lecture, followed by a series of katas he was to perform.

Michelangelo bit the side of his cheek, trying to suppress the giggle that threatened to erupt from his lips. The mischievous turtle had waited patiently for this moment. He finally had the perfect opportunity to prank all three of his elder brothers at one time. Mikey cradled the three water balloons in his hands, as he shifted his weight along the support beam near the dojo's ceiling. Getting into position, a big smile emerged on his face. _I have to time this just right._ Mikey inched a little farther down the beam. The prankster took a moment to ready his aim, and then threw the water balloons at his unsuspecting foes.

* * *

Leonardo held back a sigh of frustration. _This is pointless._ Between the thumps from Raph's heavy bag workout and the grunts from Donnie's kata punishment, Leo just couldn't concentrate enough to meditate. _Maybe I'll do better in my room._ Standing up Leo headed towards the exit when a subtle change in the air captured his attention. He spun on his heels as he reached for a couple of shuriken in his belt, throwing them at the incoming targets.

The first water balloon exploded a foot from Leo, a few drops of water making it's way onto his arm. The second water balloon burst near Donnie's foot, and the quick acting turtle managed to pick up his foot in time to avoid getting a shuriken embedded in it. Unfortunately for Raph, Leo's third shuriken missed by a hair and the balloon broke on impact, covering the unsuspecting hot head with water.

Raph's angry rose rang throughout the dojo. "Mikey!"

Leo and Donnie looked up in time to see a shadow moving quickly along the ceiling support beams. Mikey's giggles carried down to them.

Raph headed towards the dojo entrance when Leo's voice stopped him. "Raph wait."

Turning around, Raph shot the leader a death glare. "What do you want Fearless?"

Donnie calmly walked up to the two elders and handed each of them a super soaker. "Now you're ready."

Raising an eye ridge, Raph looked at the super soaker for a moment. Then a large grin spread across his face. "Donnie, you are one clever turtle."

Donatello smiled at the compliment, then turned to Leo. Leo gave a quick nod to his team. The three siblings raced out of the dojo, determined to give Mikey some well-deserved payback.

* * *

Still buzzing from the days earlier water fight, Michelangelo came bustling into Donatello's lab. "Hurry up Donnie, we don't want to be late meeting up with April."

Donnie rose from his chair and reached for his bo. Realizing he left it in the dojo he called out over his shoulder. "Ok Mikey, just let me grab my bo. Don't touch anything!"

Mikey rolled his eyes at the order. _Pfft, what does he think I'm gonna do?_

Bored, the curious turtle's eyes roamed over the lab. They landed on Donatello's computer at the same time an instant message appeared on the screen.

 **Don, I'm still waiting.**

 _Oh man, April's already waiting for us?_ Mikey walked over and quickly typed a reply from Donatello's keyboard.

 **We should be at the coffee house by 8:30 Ape. We're leaving now.**

The reply was immediate.

 **Take your time. The coffee house on 9** **th** **Ave and West 21** **st** **street right?**

Puzzled, Mikey shook his head. _That's odd. April had mentioned the new coffee shop a few days ago._ With a brief shrug, Mikey corrected the address.

 **No, the new one on 8** **th** **Ave and West 20** **th** **Street.**

 **My bad, see you there!**

Donatello's voice carried into the laboratory. "Mikey get out of my lab!"

Michelangelo winced at his genius brother's tone before exited the lab. Racing to the door, Mikey's voice rang throughout the lair. "See you dudes later, we're off to meet April!"

Master Splinter shook his head as Mikey's voice rang out. No matter how many times he's told the youngster he doesn't need to shout, he does it anyway.

* * *

Sitting at the opposite end of the coffee shop, the raven haired female had a direct line of sight to the trio in the corner. The red headed woman and her two acquaintances appeared to be having a fabulous time. Frowning, Mira flipped her raven hair over her shoulder as she crossed her legs underneath the table. Mira had recognized Don in his disguise the moment she had stepped into the coffee shop and spotted the trio in the corner. Understanding the need to conceal his looks in public, Mira waited for Don to notice that she was there, and introduce her to his companions. She assumed the young man to his left was one of his brothers. Shifting in his seat often, and constantly tapping his feet, it was obvious that remaining still was not an easy task for Don's brother. _Don's brother acts like he has ants in his pants. But who is the red head? And what kind of name is Ape anyway?_ In all of their recent online chats, Don had never mentioned he knew anyone else besides his brothers and father.

Clearly the red head was friendly with the two brothers. Occasionally she would reach out and lightly touch one of them on the arm to emphasize a point. Mira always hated people that spoke with their hands. All that gesturing about wasted energy. Every time the red head touched Donnie's arm or hand, Mira felt her blood pressure rising. _No one but me should be touching Don._

Waiting for a break in the action, Mira's patience was finally rewarded when the red head rose from her chair. Scooping up her friends empty cups, April affectionately squeezed Don's shoulder before headed to the counter for a second round. It was growing late, but April didn't mind sending her friends off with a to-go order. Donnie and Mikey just loved the caffeinated beverages from the coffee shops in her area. April would sometimes carry the shops drinks down to the lair for the guys. But it was nice to see her friends get a hot, instead of lukewarm, beverage for a change. Mira's eyes narrowed when April squeezed Don's shoulder as she walked to the counter. No longer able to keep her jealousy under control, Mira rose and sauntered over to the two brothers.

* * *

His brothers would never admit it, but Mikey was actually a very observant turtle. He had to be. As the resident prankster in the lair, his very survival after a well-executed prank depended on Mikey's ability to escape from his angry brother quickly. This meant that the orange masked turtle always kept one eye on the lookout for a getaway path.

Donnie was facing his younger sibling, leaving his back exposed to the coffee shop. Facing his brother, Mikey had full view of the shop while they talked. The observant youngster had noticed the raven haired woman staring at their small group all evening. With a determined look on her face, she sauntered away from her seat, heading directly for their dark corner.

Mikey did not take his eyes off of the approaching woman. "Umm, bro, do you know any humans besides April?"

Donnie frowned at the unexpected question. "No Mikey, why?"

Mikey shifted in his seat. His eyes flicked back to Donnie's face. "Because we're about to have company."

Before Don could turn around, he felt a hand land on his shoulder as a familiar voice purred. "Don, what a surprise to see you here."

Mikey didn't think his brother's purple masked eyes could get any wider.

The shock evident in his voice, Donnie sputtered as he turned to look at their guest. "M-Mi-Mira?"

Mira sat down in April's seat. Don's mouth hung open; he could feel his heartbeat racing. His mind refusing to work properly as questions ran around in his brain. _Mira's here?_ _Why is she here? How did she know we would be here?_

Mira cleared her throat, staring expectantly at Don's surprised face. After a beat of continued silence she looked at Mikey. "You must be one of Don's brothers."

 _Ok, I don't know what's going on but clearly this woman knows Donnie._ Mikey nodded with his greeting. "Yep, I'm Michelangelo. I'm Donnie's youngest brother. And you are?"

Mira shifted her chair closer to Don, putting an affectionate hand on his forearm.

"I'm Mira."

* * *

April juggled three steaming cups as she headed back towards her friends seated at the table in the corner of the cafe. With all of her attention on the drinks, April didn't notice their new guest until she reached the table.

Startled, April stumbled and the drinks began to tilt in her hands. Mikey jumped up and easily grabbed two of the drinks with one hand, while he steadied April with the other.

"Easy Ape, I've got it."

April blinked in surprise as she sat down. "Thanks Mikey. What's going on? Who are you?"

Mira slid her hand into Don's. Unable to pull his hand from Mira's firm grasp, Donnie squeezed hard in a silent plea to bend the truth. "I'm Mira. Don's ex, um, friend."

A broad grin emerged on Mikey's face. "Donnie! You have a human friend too. You and Mira, you're just like me and April. That's awesome dude!"

Donnie mumbled his reply. "Yeah Mikey, something like that."

With no one noticing Donatello's discomfort with their new guest, Mira easily became the topic of the night.

After recounting how they met for Mira, April sipped her drink before asking. "So Mira, how do you know Donnie?"

For the second time that evening, Donnie squeezed Mira's hand hard, a silent plea to sugar coat the truth.

"We're co-workers."

Mikey leaned forward in his chair, his eyes widening. "Dude, you have a job? Wait does that mean you get paid?"

Donatello wanted to let out a groan of frustration.

Mira let out a chuckle. "Not exactly Mikey. Don and I help each other with our work. We've been collaborating for years. Mostly computer modeling and simulations, with a heavy focus on psychiatric manipulation."

April leaned forward in interest. "Computer mind control?"

For the first time since Mira's arrival Donnie had found his voice. Yanking his hand out of Mira's he rose quickly from his seat.

"Well will you look at the time. Mikey we better head home before it gets any later."

Puzzled by his brother's abrupt departure, but happy to leave the creepy mystery guest behind, Mikey followed Don's hasty retreat.

With the brothers out of hearing range, Mira gave April a smile. "It was wonderful meeting you. Perhaps we can hang out again sometime?"

April shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I'm meeting the guys Thursday for movie night. I'm sure Donnie won't mind."

Mira's smile got even wider. "No, I'm sure he won't mind at all."

* * *

Mikey waited patiently for his older brother to confess about their evening's mystery guest. His patience lasted until they went underground.

"So when did you two break up bro?"

Lost in his thoughts, Donatello stumbled at the unexpected question. "Mikey?"

Stopping so that his brother could catch up Mikey asked again. "You and Mira. When did you two break up?"

Caught off guard for the second time that evening, Donatello stuttered. "Mi-Mikey, h-how did you know?"

Mikey leaned back on his heels, a smug look on his face. "Come on bro, it's not that hard. It's obvious the girl is still crazy about you."

Donnie looked at the ground. "Yeah, you could say that."

Noticing his brother's discomfort, Mikey put a hand on Donatello's shoulder. "She's not that bad looking bro. Sounds smart too. So what gives?"

Looking into his younger brothers eyes for the first time since leaving the coffee shop, Donnie saw genuine curiosity staring back at him. The purple ninja let out a sigh.

"I'm not ready to talk about it Mikey."

Michelangelo raised an eye ridge. _There seems to be a lot of that going on lately._ Unwilling to let something this big slide so easily, Mikey leaned forward. "You're going to have to tell us sooner or later bro."

Frustrated, Donatello ran a hand over his face. "I know. Mikey, just please."

Sensing his brother had about all the stress he could handle for one evening, Mikey let a grin cross his face. "Don't worry bro, when you're ready, we'll be here for you."

With a look of relief Donnie gave his first genuine smile of the evening. "Thanks Mikey."

Deciding things were serious for long enough, Mikey lightly punched his brother on the arm before racing off. "Last one home has dish duty for breakfast."

Donatello took off after his energetic younger brother.

"Mikey!"

* * *

After losing to Michelangelo during their race back to the lair, Donatello found himself seated at the desk in his laboratory. Puzzling over Mira's surprised appearance at the coffee shop, Donnie did not realize that Master Splinter had entered the laboratory. Donnie let out a yelp as he was startled by his father's gentle voice. "It is getting late my son."

Rubbing his hands over his eyes, Donatello nodded. "I know, I'm sorry Master Splinter. I guess I just lost track of the time."

Splinter sat down in a nearby chair, a look of concern on his face. "Something troubles you my son?"

Giving his father a soft smile, Donatello shrugged. "You know me Sensei, always thinking about something."

Splinter wanted to continue prodding his troubled son. Yet the discouraged father was having limited success in getting his son's to open up. Splinter rose and gave his intelligent son a gentle pat on the shoulder before exiting the laboratory. "You can always turn to your family for help my son. You do not have to try to fix everything by yourself."

* * *

Thursday night was movie night in the lair. After the turtles finished their nightly patrol, April would stop by with a new release as well as popcorn, chips, salsa and other sinfully good snacks. Donatello should have known that Mira wouldn't be content to sit back on the sidelines after meeting Michelangelo. Mira had about as much patience as his impulsive older brother Raphael. When April waked in the door of the lair Thursday night, laughing alongside Mira, he shouldn't have been surprised, really. But he was anyway.

Having just exited from his lab, Donatello stopped in his tracks as his eyes fell upon the two visitors. "April! Mira!"

Unaware of Donatello's discomfort, April headed towards the kitchen table to drop off the goods. "Hey guys!"

Michelangelo raced over to help unload the packages. And to grab the best snacks for himself, of course.

Mira headed straight for Donatello. Before she could get a word out, Donnie roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards his laboratory. Slamming the door closed, anger was evident in his voice as he hissed. "What are you doing here Mira?"

Calmly crossing her arms in front of her chest, Mira coolly eyed the angry turtle. "Why I would think it was obvious Don, I'm here for movie night."

Frustration radiated off of Donatello. "The other night at the coffee shop. Now here at the lair! I told you to stay away from my family. Why are you really here Mira?"

Mira headed for Don's desk. Sitting on the desk top, she crossed her legs, a triumphant look on her face. "Michelangelo and April already know about me. I don't see the big deal if I meet the rest of your brothers Don."

With his arms crossed in front of his plastron, Donnie glared at the raven haired woman sitting on his desk. _She always was pretty when she was stubborn._

For the first time that evening, Mira looked uncomfortable as she shifted. "And I need your help with a project."

Not breaking his glare, Donnie spat out. "Oh really?"

Mira pulled a device from the bag she had over her shoulder and placed it on the desk. "You remember this don't you?"

Unable to restrain his scientific curiosity, Donatello walked over. "Of course, it's the first Utrom neural interface we created together."

Don assessed the device as he turned it over in his hands. The older device looked nothing like the Utrom neural interface he used on his brothers. Continuing to admire the device in his hands, Donnie remembered when the prototype interface was still in development.

***Begin flashback***

 _Donatello and Mira were on their fifth, or maybe it was their sixth, cup of Utrom caffeine supplements. Between the combination of the late hour, the lack of sleep, and the supplement's corresponding caffeine high, Donatello and Mira found themselves relaxed and giddy._

" _So do you want to test it out?" Mira leaned forward, caressing Don's arm as her eyes gleamed with mischief._

 _Donatello leaned back in his chair, pondering the question. He knew the device wasn't ready. But the purple masked turtle was as eager as his partner to test the device. If the Utrom neural interface worked, he might finally be able to recover his lost memories about his past._

 _With Mira's strong grasp of psychology and Donatello's engineering skills, the talented duo had created a prototype neural interface device. The hope was that the device would probe the mind, searching for fragmented memories and filling in the blanks. With a few modifications, the device might even be able to collect the memories of the Utroms, acting as a storage house for the races history._

 _Mira leaned closer, her breath warm against Don's cool skin. "Or we could try something else?"_

 _Donatello shifted, looking into the eyes of his partner. It was tempting to take Mira up on her offer, but Don's scientific curiosity won. With a promise in his smile, Donatello softly palmed Mira's face. Mira leaned into the touch before Don's hand fell from her face and reached for the device._

 _Placing the interface on his head, Don squared his shoulders and settled in his seat. Mira moved over to the computer screen. "Let's see how this works."_

 _Mira pressed a few keys and the neural interface hummed to life._

***End flashback***

Donatello glanced back at the prototype neural interface. The earlier model required many rounds of troubleshooting before Don and Mira realized that the original design had been flawed. The prototype could only scan a brain much smaller in size than Don's own. Attempting to extract memories from anything larger was an excruciatingly painful process that brought mixed results.

Donatello looked up from the device, the curiosity evident in his voice. "You never did tell me who the customer was for this prototype."

Mira shrugged. _Did Don mention one of his brothers was with the Triceritons?_ "Yeah, well this prototype turned out to be perfect for the smaller sized brains of the Triceritons. This Triceriton, Commander Mozar paid a lot of money for the interface. I believe the Triceriton's call it a Triceriton mind probe."

The name Commander Mozar was familiar to Donnie, but he couldn't put his finger on the reason why. Suddenly Don's eyes grew wide as he remembered. Raphael rarely spoke of his time during the Triceriton Civil war. However, a few nights ago after patrol, Donnie was stitching a cut for Raphael in the laboratory. The red masked turtle was struggling to find some common ground with his brainy brother as a distraction from his injury. Quickly realizing what Raph was trying to do, Donnie opened the door by sharing some of his struggles to adapt to living among the technologically advanced Utrom. In turn, Raph detailed some of the harshness of living during a civil war. Lies, thieving, deceit, and torture. Donatello shuddered as he recalled the conversation and Raph's words. _The treatment prisoners were subjected to by the Triceriton Republic sounded particularly cruel for those held captive by Zanramon's right hand soldier, a Commander Mozar._ Donatello almost dropped the device in his hands. _Wait, Commander Mozar?_ "This went to the Triceriton's? To Commander Mozar?"

Mira flinched at Don's sudden inquiry. "So? What's the big deal? You said that you've already used the Utrom neural interface among your brothers."

Cutting off Mira mid-sentence Donatello looked around the room with wild eyes. The panicked turtle searched for a hiding spot for the device as he hissed at Mira. "Raphael was with the Triceriton rebellion during the civil war. This was used by the Triceriton Republic to torture prisoners. If Raph finds out that we created this for the enemy, he'll have my shell!"

Mira hopped off the desk and placed a hand on Don's arm. "Relax Don, he doesn't have to know."

Michelangelo's voice rang throughout the lair. "Guys it's movie night, come on!"

Mira grabbed the device and shoved it into a nearby drawer. "See, all gone."

Pulling onto Don's arm, Mira led them out of the laboratory. "Come on, the movie's about to start."

Flustered, Don stumbled after Mira.

* * *

Leonardo and Raphael exited the dojo. They watched Mira pull a stumbling and flustered looking Donatello over to the couch.

Raph let out a snort as he watched his uncomfortable younger brother. "Heh, looks like that's Donnie's girlfriend."

Leo shook his head. "Ex-girlfriend from what I've been told."

Eyeing the couple, Raph shook his head. "I don't think anyone told Mira that."

The red masked turtle headed over to the living room. He introduced himself as he sat on a nearby chair. "Hey, I'm Raphael."

Mira turned predatory eyes onto the sai carrying turtle. _So this is the Triceriton warrior._ "I'm Mira."

Raphael let a smirk cross his face. "So I've heard."

Mira raised an eyebrow at Raphael's remark.

Leonardo walked over and bowed to Mira as he introduced himself. "Ms. Mira. I am Leonardo."

She watched Leonardo smoothly take a seat on the floor near Raphael.

Anger flashing in her eyes, Mira scowled at the blue masked turtle. _Then that means he must be Ch'rell's son._ Mira clutched Don's arm possessively. _That wretched Utrom's son has no right to be near my Don._

Michelangelo gave Mira a smile as he sat down next to April. "Hiya Dudette."

Mira surveyed the room. _So these are the brothers that have taken Don away from the Utrom. Away from me._ Then Mira's eyes locked onto Leonardo. Sitting in the presence of the son, of her people's most hated enemy, was making her Utrom blood start to boil.

As the movie began, the wheels in Mira's head began to turn.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally, the brother's meet Mira. Looks like trouble is up ahead though. Virtual brownies with vanilla ice cream to those who review!**


	11. The Set Up

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews. This chapter picks up right where the last one left off.**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles. Mira is mine, but I don't think anyone would want to own her anyway, the conniving little, oh wait, this story is rated T.**

* * *

Chapter 11-The Set Up

It was a half hour after the movie had ended. The small group found themselves seated around the kitchen table, swapping stories. Mira had managed to get the brothers sharing tales from their pasts. At least Michelangelo and Raphael had recounted past events for the group. April nodded along as she listened. Donatello and Leonardo remained silent.

Donnie was in his own personal hell as his eyes surveyed the table. _It looks like everyone is succumbing to Mira's charms._ The purple clad turtle glanced over at his ex-girlfriend. _And who could blame them. She's funny and incredibly smart._ Then he glanced down at the hand possessively holding his own. _And obsessive and possessive. I've got to just cut ties completely and let her go._ He unconsciously squeezed her hand. _If only it were that easy._

Donatello zoned out as the group continued to talk, his mind drifting back to his time with the Utroms. Despite Donatello's genius, at first he did not recognize the signs of Mira's advances. Mira seemed like such a nice girl. She was the first Utrom female to see the mutant turtle as something more than just a ninja or an engineer. She became his friend and confident. Their shared love for knowledge and seeking answers gave him a thrill like no one else could. And he enjoyed the feelings her displays of affection stirred within him. Before the purple masked turtle knew it, they had gone from being simply friends, to something more. And that's when Mira's true colors began to show. Her possessive nature caused the gentle turtle to shy away. But his kind heart did not give him the courage to just say no. For too long, Mira was his only friend. It was a habit proving to be more difficult to break than Donnie cared to admit. _And now I've let her weave her way back into my life again._

* * *

Leonardo bit the inside of his lip in an attempt to remain focused on the group. Unlike Michelangelo or Raphael, Leo wasn't a turtle big on small talk. His preferences were closer to Donatello's, state the facts, then move on to something else. Trying to suppress yet another yawn, he vaguely listened to the conversation change topics.

"The activity of the gangs on the street have really increased lately. Have you guys seen the news?"

April nodded her head in response to Mira's question. "I have." April's eyes roamed the group. "The news has even mentioned a new player in town. A masked vigilante that uses hockey sticks and baseball bats to fight."

Raphael's mouth turned up in a smirk. "Sport equipment huh? This guy I've gotta see."

April continued. "It feels like the various gangs are fighting for territory a lot lately."

Silently thanking April for the easy opening Mira surveyed her prey. "Even with this new vigilante's help, and you boys out on patrol, I fear the streets are growing worse."

Tension started to build in the room. Mira locked her eyes on Leonardo. "It appears that the Foot Clan are struggling to maintain control, now that they don't have a leader anymore."

Leo suddenly snapped to attention at the turn in the conversation. His eyes focused on Mira. "What do you mean?"

 _Finally, I've got his attention._ Mira shrugged innocently. "Nothing really, just that the streets are getting out of control. With the Foot Clan lacking a strong leader, there's no one to bring peace and order to the streets."

Mira leaned forward, continuing to focus on Leo. "I'm sure you could do something about it." Glancing at the remaining brothers she corrected herself. "I mean all of you, of course."

Pulled out of his reverie, Donatello's voice broke in. "Deciding who's in charge is something the rival gangs have to work out on their own. It's not our fight."

Leonardo disagreed with his younger brother. "I'm not so sure about that Donnie. After all, we did defeat the Shredder. It's left the Foot Clan without a leader."

Not liking where the conversation was going, Mikey interjected. "I'm with Donnie on this one Leo. Our job is to keep the peace on the streets, not to rule the streets."

Disagreeing with the youngest, Raphael's gruff voice countered. "One of the best ways to keep order, is to be the one in charge of it."

Michelangelo gripped the edge of the table in frustration. "Dudes, we already do that. By stopping crime when we are out on patrol. That's the whole point of going out on patrol. To bring order to the streets."

Nodding, Donatello agreed with his youngest brother. "We do this every night. Guys, we are already doing everything we can."

Raphael frowned and crossed his arms in front of his plastron.

Leonardo shook his head but remained silent. _But are we really doing everything we can?_

Sensing this was a conversation for another time, April rose from her chair. "Guys, it's getting late. And I have to work tomorrow."

Mira stood as well. "Yeah, I guess it's time to call it a night."

Michelangelo rose from his seat, his frustration already forgotten. "Alright, top side! I'll walk you both home."

Leonardo stood and followed his enthusiastic younger brother. The leader's voice emphasized the first word. " **We** will walk you guys home. Donnie, Raph, come on."

With a groan the two tired turtles joined their brothers.

* * *

Michelangelo raced ahead of the small group with a yelp. Raphael followed, hot on his heels, aiming to tackle his pesky brother as payment for his latest prank. Where Mikey kept all those water balloons hidden was a mystery.

With April and Mira engaged in their own conversation, Donatello joined Leonardo at the rear of the group.

Donnie's calm voice addressed his brother. "If you seek it, you shall find it."

The genius's comment was answered with a raised eye ridge from Leonardo. Taking that as a sign, Donatello continued. "The war on the streets. If you look for signs of unrest, that's all you are going to see."

Leonardo remained silent, hoping his normally passive brother would not continue. He wasn't that lucky.

"You know Leo, Mikey was right the other day. In the kitchen. Raph and I overheard you two talking."

Donnie watched the young leader tense up, but continued to press onward. "You are not the Shredder's son. Your place is with your family."

Leonardo's muscles rippled as he struggled to contain his frustration. The blue turtle stopped and faced his younger brother. Leo's face was an unreadable mask. Leaving no room for argument, Leo's voice was stern. "As the leader, it is my place to **protect** this family. In any way that I can."

Concluding their discussion, Leonardo jogged ahead to catch up to Michelangelo and Raphael, leaving a stunned Donatello behind.

* * *

Splinter's ears flicked forward at the sound of the approaching footsteps. He could hear Raphael and Leonardo's grunts as they sparred in the dojo. And the steady smacking of fingers on plastic meant Michelangelo was immersed in yet another new video game. This left Donatello as the owner of the softly approaching footfalls. _Indeed the Guardians have trained him well._

"Donatello, enter my son."

Donatello entered and kneeled in front of his father. His eyes remained fixated on the floor in front of him. Now that he was actually in front of Master Splinter, the disheartened turtle didn't know where to begin.

Splinter prodded his troubled son to speak. "Something troubles you, my son?"

Encouraged by the question, Donatello looked up. "It's about Mira."

Splinter had to hold back his look of surprise. If he had been a betting man, um well rat anyway, Splinter would have guessed that his son's troubles were due to Leonardo's increasingly broody behavior. The reports of violence as the local gangs struggled for control of the city's underworld continued to increase. So did the eldest turtle's attempts to draw himself away from his family. Along with the growing tension in the lair, was the riff that was forming among the four siblings. Raphael appeared to side with Leonardo, when the eldest actually discussed his opinions on the topic. The red and blue siblings believed they should do something more than simply continue to patrol the streets. However, the two youngest siblings did not agree with their elder brothers. Mikey and Donnie favored waiting on the sidelines to see where things fell as the rivals to the streets fought for control.

Ex-girlfriend problems? This was not something Splinter thought he would ever have to provide counsel on to his sons.

Splinter sat patiently, awaiting his son to continue.

Donatello shifted uncomfortably as he fought for the courage to confide to his father. _Well I've already gone this far, I might as well keep going._

Donnie took a deep breath and then let everything spill out in a big rush. "Mira is an Utrom. She's not only my ex-girlfriend, but also my ex-coworker. We used to collaborate on everything together. We even designed the Utrom Neural Interface that my brothers and I used to recover our lost memories. But that was a later model. Mira was the contact for our customers. I only recently found out that the first model was sold to the Triceriton Republic. We created something that was used against the rebellion during the Triceriton Civil war. Now Mira wants my help to modify the neural interface, probably for the same Triceriton customer. And part of me wants to Master Splinter. She's funny and smart and makes me happy. But she's also cunning and possessive and I just don't know how to say no to her. And…"

Master Splinter held up his hand. "My son. Breathe in. And breathe out. Breathe in. And breathe out."

Once his distraught son regained his composure Splinter began. "Women can be the most fickle of creatures. And also the most joyous to behold. You must follow your heart while also keeping an eye out for your own well-being. Sometimes the strongest word, is to say No."

With Donatello looking at his Master in earnest, Splinter continued. "As for your brother and aiding the Triceritons. You didn't willing aid the Triceritons. I think it would hurt your brother more to know that you have been hiding something from him. If you tell him the truth, I'm sure Raphael will eventually understand."

Donatello sat silently as he considered the implications of Master Splinter's advice.

The purple masked turtle bowed deeply before standing and exiting the room. "Thank you Master Splinter."

* * *

 **A/N: Mira is quite the trouble maker isn't she? And poor Donnie, he not only has a crazy ex but he also had a role in helping the enemy during the Triceriton Civil War. I wonder how Raph is going to react to that? Until next time, I hope you are enjoying this sequel, please leave a review before you go. Virtual mint chocolate ice cream to those who do!**


	12. Goodbye

**A/N: Another chapter so soon? Why yes, thanks to your reviews.**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.**

 **Disclaimer: I still do not own the turtles. Of course, Mira is still mine, the manipulative little, oh alright let's just get on with this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 12-Goodbye

Letting out a huff of frustration, Leonardo rose from his mat, giving up on mediating. The blue masked turtle could not get Mira's words out of his head.

" _Nothing really, just that the streets are getting out of control. With the Foot Clan lacking a strong leader, there's no one to bring peace and order to the streets."_

Leonardo walked over to his desk. He pulled out a stack of notes with his right hand. Idly flipping through them he walked over to his bed and sat down. The messages from the Foot Clan had increased in frequency in direct proportion to the increase in violence on the streets. At first the notes were minor annoyances, reminders of a past life Leo no longer wanted to remember. But lately the Foot Clan has grown desperate. The subtle reminders had turned into threats, or blackmail if you will. The message from tonight's patrol was clear, the Elite Guard were not willing to wait any longer. If Leonardo would not return to the Foot Clan on his own, then they were going to force him to. By targeting his brothers. The ultimatum was clear. Return to bring order to the Foot Clan, thereby granting his family immunity. Or continue to lead his family, and the Foot Clan would target his brothers one by one, until he was the only one left.

Leonardo crumpled the notes in his hand. The sword wielder reflected on the evening's patrol. The four ninja's had arrived home late, each sporting scrapes and bruises. Leo and his brothers were exhausted. The activity on the streets continued to escalate, making their patrols long and filled with fighting.

Squeezing the threats harder, Leo closed his eyes. Originally sparked by Mira's conversation about the Foot Clan, the tension in the lair was now at an all-time high. The small team could not agree on the next course of action. Take charge and restore order to the streets? Or wait and let the rivals settle things on their own? _But at what price? Reports on tv highlight the increased violence. More and more innocents are getting hurt._

Leo opened his eyes. He looked at his desk, staring at a picture of his family. _My_ _ **brothers**_ _are getting hurt_. _The time has been too short. After all these years apart, we are only just starting to come together as a family. They will never understand why I return to the Foot Clan. But I cannot let the violence on the streets continue. If I leave, I can protect them. I can use the Foot to bring order back to the streets of New York._ _If I stay, I put everyone at risk._ Leonardo surveyed his room once more. With his decision made, he exited his bedroom for the last time.

* * *

Leonardo silently crept down the hallway, beginning with Raphael's room. The blue ninja paused for a moment, listening for the telltale snores from the team's most passionate member. Raphael took to sleeping with as much passion as everything else in his life. When the sai wielder slept, it was deep. There were not many things that would wake him. Satisfied that Raph was asleep, Leo walked into the room. Approaching the bed, he stared at his brother's sleeping form. Leo's eyes paused at the gauze covering his brother's right arm. His stomach turned over from guilt. A knife had slipped through Raph's guard, the resulting cut deep enough to require stitches.

Leo lightly touched his brother's arm, careful not to disturb the red turtle's slumber or injury. He recalled his prior conversation in the dojo with Raphael. The ex-soldier's words still fresh in Leo's mind.

" _You know one of the reasons why the Triceriton civil war lasted for so long? Spies. Eventually Traximus found out that his second in command, Commander Mozar, was a spy for Zanramon. He was feeding our battle plans to the enemy. But instead of calling out the Commander, Traximus tried a different strategy. He used the spy to his advantage."_

Leo straightened his back as he moved away from the bed. A determined look in his eyes as he stared at Raphael's injured arm. _This could have been prevented._ Exiting Raphael's room, Leo's next stop was Donatello's. It was rare that the resident genius fell asleep in his room. Too often, Donnie could be found slumped over his keyboard in his laboratory. Except for tonight. After fixing up his brothers, Master Splinter intervened before Donatello could attempt to continue working on his latest invention. Despite his protests, the purple ninja soon found himself in his own bedroom, with a stern order to get some sleep. Donnie only meant to lay down for a few minutes, to appease his father. But exhaustion won and Donatello was now fast asleep in his own bed.

Leo entered Donatello's room and carefully made his way over to his brother's bed. Leonardo was thankful for the soft glow from one of Donnie's computers. The ambient light help Leo avoid the various inventions and who knew what else scattered around the engineer's room. Leo gently touched Donnie's hand. The guilt Leonardo had been feeling continued to climb as he looked at the large bruise on Donnie's forearm. The nasty looking mark a reminder of Donatello blocking a blow that was meant for his head, with his arm instead of his bo.

Leo recalled his recent conversation with his brother.

" _As the leader, it is my place to_ _ **protect**_ _this family. In any way that I can."_

Leo gazed at his sleeping brother with sad eyes. _I can stop this. I have to stop this._

The guilt ridden teenager's last stop was Michelangelo's room. Out of the four brothers, Mikey's room was always the biggest mess. Leo maneuvered over a mini obstacle course as he headed to the youngsters bed. While not as heavy a sleeper as Raph, Mikey was still a close second. Leo reached out and lightly ran his fingers over his brother's forehead. Leo's guilt built even more. Despite his natural skills and athletic ability, Mikey had walked away from their patrol with the worst injury. His swollen wrist was wrapped and propped up on a pillow. It wasn't broken, but it would be a few days before Mikey would be able to wield his nunchaku without pain. Leo quickly pulled his hand away when the orange turtle stirred. Not wanting to wake up his brother, Leo headed towards the door. The remorseful leader had almost made his exit when a sleepy voice called out.

"L-Le-Leo?"

Leo cursed to himself as he spun on his heels and headed back to the bed. "Sshh, it's ok Mikey. I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."

Never one to turn away a potential cuddling opportunity Mikey shifted on the bed. Leo could barely make out the word as the emotional turtle mumbled. "C-Cu-Cudd-Cuddles."

Leo reached out and rubbed his brother's head, his voice soft. "Sshh, go to sleep Mikey."

Mikey's uninjured arm reached out, blindly grabbing for his brother. "Cu-Cudd-Cuddles."

A soft smile spread on Leo's face as he climbed in next to his youngest brother. Leo ran a hand gently up and down Mikey's uninjured arm. The orange turtle's breathing deepened as he fell back to sleep. Leo stared at Mikey's ceiling. _For you guys. I'm doing this for you._

* * *

Under the moon's ambient light, four dark figures leapt across the city's rooftops. For the first time in weeks, the evening's patrol had been rather quiet. The brothers broke up a couple of muggings. They stopped a theft of goods by the Purple Dragons, but overall it was an easy night.

With his wrist firmly wrapped and extra energy to burn, Michelangelo began to add some extra flair to his rooftop leaps. "Hey guys, check this one out."

With a couple of twists and tucks that would make any Olympic gymnast jealous, Mikey landed with a flourish on the opposite rooftop.

Stepping up to the challenge, Donnie called out. "Mikey, stop showing off. And take it easy with that wrist!"

Donatello vaulted over to the next rooftop, using his bo to add extra height before landing smoothly next to Mikey.

Wanting to enjoy his last moments with his brothers Leonardo jumped next. His voice taunting the hot head. "See if you can beat this Raph."

Raph shot a look over to his brothers. His eyes held a mischievous gleam that no one could see from the next rooftop.

With a grin, Raph charged forward, tackling his three brothers to the ground.

"Raphael!"

"Wait, you didn't add any flourish!"

"Come on Raph!"

The four brothers continued to wrestle along the ground when a puff of smoke filled the air. The smoke cleared, revealing the Foot Clan's Elite Guard.

Raph, Mikey and Donnie reached for their weapons as an Elite Guard singled out each turtle. The fourth Elite guard approached Leonardo.

Noticing his brothers reaching for their weapons, Leonardo commanded. "Stop!"

Shiro pointed his twin bladed sword at the young leader. He demanded in Japanese. "What is your decision?"

Raphael noticed Donatello and Michelangelo tensing up at the Elite guard's words. "What's he saying guys?"

 _Decision? What? Oh no he's not!_

Mikey cried out. "Leo, no!"

Donnie also raised his voice. "Leo, please!"

Leonardo ignored his brothers as he addressed the Elite guard in Japanese. "First, I must have your word. No harm to my family."

Sin'ichi pointed his spear at Leonardo as he spat out in heated Japanese. "We already agreed to this! You dare to question our honor?"

Shinji tightened the grip on his battle axe, agreeing with his teammate. "If anyone should be questioning one's honor, it should be us questioning you!"

Saburo slammed the end of his trident on the ground, silencing his teammates. "Enough!"

Shiro did not lower his sword as he demanded again. "Your decision."

Raphael could not follow the conversation, but he didn't need to. Everyone's body language gave it away. Whatever they were chatting about in Japanese, things weren't looking good. _If Leo's leaving, he can't do it alone. Doesn't he see that?_

Gripping one of his nunchaku with a white knuckled grip, Michelangelo tried to beg his eldest brother with his eyes. _No, Leo. Don't do this. We've only just gotten you back, don't leave us. We talked about this! You are Splinter's son! How dare you! There has to be another way._

Donatello's grip on his bo was so tight, the purple ninja was surprised it had not broken in half yet. _I knew this was going to happen. He's going to sacrifice his position in this family to protect us. I should have done more to stop him. Doesn't he realize that leaving us puts this family at bigger risk?_

Leonardo let his eyes roam over his family, his brothers. He was the eldest. The leader. It was his responsibility to ensure that his family remained safe. _This is the only way. Guys, I'm so sorry._

Leonardo refused to look directly in his brothers eyes. Instead he fixed Shiro with a hard look as he replied. "I am the Shredder's son."

The four Elite guard nodded their heads in acknowledgement before a puff of smoke filled the air.

The cloth that was normally tied to Leonardo's arm fluttered to the ground. Leo's voice lingered in the air as the smoke cleared. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Master Splinter watched three sullen teenagers enter the lair. The tension radiated off of his sons. **Three** of his sons. "My sons, where is Leonardo?"

Michelangelo had a temper that would rival Raphael's, although he rarely showed it. But right now, it was in full force. Enraged he spat out. "He left, to join the Foot." Before anyone could say anything more, he leapt up to the second floor and slammed his bedroom door.

Turning to his remaining two sons Splinter asked. "Is this true?"

Donatello's voice displayed his frustration as he wandered over to his laboratory. "Yes sensei."

Splinter turned to Raphael. He noticed his red masked son was not as angry as his younger siblings. "And you Raphael?"

Raph crossed his arms in front of his plastron. He wasn't happy that Leonardo left either. But Raphael understood war better than his younger brothers. "It's just another war sensei. And during war, sacrifices have to be made."

Raphael walked towards the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. The sai wielder muttered in a voice too soft for Splinter to hear. "Except Fearless is foolish to try to do this on his own."

* * *

 **A/N: Flikaroo glares at the plot bunny. "Leo left! What are you doing?"**

 **Plot bunny thumps it's foot in defiance.**

 **Flikaroo growls. "Why you little..."**

 **Plot bunny hops back one step.**

 **Flikaroo tenses up, taking a step forward.**

 **While I go chase down my plot bunny, virtual snow cones to those who review!**


	13. Torn Apart

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for both your reviews and for your suggestions.**

 **I finally caught my plot bunny and we've had a showdown ever since.**

 **Plot bunny stomps it's foot stubbornly at Flikaroo.**

" **I know I'm getting to it."**

 **Plot bunny points to the summary of the story at the top of the page and stomps again.**

" **Alright, already!"**

 **Flikaroo marks this sequel complete.**

" **Are you happy now plot bunny?"**

 **Please note: Character thoughts are in italics. Computer chatting is in bold.**

 **Disclaimer: Until someone decides to offer ownership to me, I still do not own the turtles.**

* * *

Chapter 13-Torn Apart

Michelangelo never understood why Raphael had a heavy bag inside his room, until now. Because right now, Mikey could really go for a round against the heavy bag. Instead he knocked a stack of comic books off of his desk with a sweep of his arm. His angry voice rang out in Japanese. "Argh! I can't believe he would leave us! What an idiot!"

Continuing to take out his anger on every object in his room, Mikey was too distracted to notice Raphael enter. Raph's voice interrupted Mikey's rants. "Mikey, calm down."

With wild eyes the orange clad turtle whirled around to face his older brother. Switching back to English, Mikey voice rose with each passing word. "Calm down? Don't ask me to calm down Raph! Leo left! He had a choice. And he left!"

Tears began to roll down Mikey's face, staining his mask a darker shade of orange.

Raph stepped forward and engulfed his hysterical brother in a hug. He rubbed Mikey's shell with his hand, trying to calm his heart broken brother.

Mikey molded into the embrace as he mumbled against Raph's plastron. "I hate him."

Raph pulled away, keeping his hands on Mikey's shoulders. "Mikey, you don't mean that bro."

Mikey pushed his hands against Raph's plastron, causing the red ninja to stumble backwards. Mikey's voice was as hard as his eyes. "Yes, yes I do Raph. We could have helped him. We could have worked together. We could have been a team."

Suddenly Mikey realized that Raph wasn't agreeing with him. In fact, Raphael appeared remarkably calm considering what had happened. Mikey narrowed his eyes. His voice came out in a hiss. "Wait a minute. You are ok with this?" Mikey stepped closer, jabbing a finger against Raph's plastron. "You agree with him?"

Raph swatted Mikey's hand away as he took a step backwards. "Easy Mikey. Just calm down. I'm not saying that what Fearless did is right. He shouldn't have gone off on his own to try and take control of the city's streets."

If Michelangelo had hair on the back of his neck, it would have stood up at his brother's words. "But you don't disagree with him, do you Raph? You are ok with him leaving the team!"

Realizing he was walking on thin ice, Raph tried to frame his answer carefully. "The streets are at war Mikey. Don't you think we can do more to bring order to the streets if we have a turtle on the inside? Leo can gain control of the Foot Clan now."

Unwilling to accept Leonardo's actions, Mikey disagreed. "And what happens afterwards Raph? Is Leo going to be able to walk away? Did you hear those Elite Guards tonight? Leo isn't gone for a little while." Mikey repeated Leo's words in Japanese, then again in English. "No harm to my family." Enraged, Mikey looked directly into Raph's eyes. "Leo's gone. Permanently. To protect us." Connecting the dots, Mikey glared at Raph. "And you're ok with this."

Mikey didn't break his gaze with Raphael as he ordered. "Get out."

Raph raised an eye ridge. He'd never seen his youngest brother so angry. "Mikey?"

Mikey stepped closer, clenching his hands into fists as he ground out. "If you agree with Leo so bad, you should just go and join him."

Raph put his hands up, pleading. "Mikey, please."

Mikey narrowed his eyes. His voice was full of venom. "I won't ask you again. Get. Out."

Raph backed out of Michelangelo's room and closed the door.

Mikey's response was the thump of something thrown against the door.

* * *

Distraught over the events of the evening, Donatello found himself frantically chatting the one person he knew he shouldn't, Mira.

 **And then he left.**

Mira smiled at the computer screen. _Don should have never left the Utroms. At least now that wretched son of Ch'rell is away from my Don._

 **Oh Don, I'm so sorry. I'm sure everything will work out.**

Donatello sighed. His heart was heavy with the loss of his eldest brother.

 **I guess you're right.**

Mira frowned. _I've got to cheer up my Don. Working always makes him happy._

 **Why don't you take your mind off of your brother for a little while?**

Don nodded, considering Mira's suggestion, even though she couldn't see him. _It would be good to focus on something else for a little while._

 **Would you take a look at the neural interface for me? I'm having trouble with calibrating for the baseline reading after the latest upgrade.**

Don glanced over to the drawer with the device, then back to the computer screen. Donnie knew he shouldn't work on the Triceriton mind probe. But he was too confused with everything that happened with Leo, to think of what to do next. And he never could resist an engineering challenge.

 **Sure, I'll take a look.**

 **You're the best Don.**

Signing off Donatello removed the Triceriton mind probe from the drawer. The purple clad turtle began analyzing the upgrades.

* * *

Raphael was headed towards the dojo, intent on blowing off some steam of his own on one of the heavy bags. With the door to Donnie's laboratory catching his eye, Raphael changed direction mid stride. _Donnie's smart, maybe he'll know what to do._ He headed towards the laboratory.

Raph strode in without knocking. Donatello had his back to the door as he bent over something in his hands. He did not see his red masked brother walk in.

Donnie jumped, startled by Raph's gruff voice. "Hey Donnie, whatcha working on?"

Losing his grip on the device, it fell out of Don's hands and tumbled onto the floor.

Raphael's eyes widened at the sight of the Triceriton mind probe.

Surprise quickly turning to anger, Raphael barked out. "Where did you get that?"

Donatello held his hands palms up. "Raph wait, I can explain."

Feeling his temper beginning to emerge, Raph took a step backwards. His attention was no longer focusing on Donatello. Unable to tear his eyes away from the Triceriton mind probe, Raphael's mind flashed back to the last time he saw one.

***Begin flashback***

 _Raphael was pushed along a narrow corridor on the Triceriton warship. His hands we cuffed behind his shell. He felt the sting of cuts that were already forming from the metal around his wrists as he was shoved along._

 _The Triceriton guards pushed their captive towards the bridge. Seated in the captain's chair, Commander Mozar sneered down at the prisoner._

" _Raphael."_

 _The guard shoved Raph hard, pushing the prisoner to his knees. "Bow before the Commander."_

 _Raphael sent daggers to Commander Mozar as his knees met the floor of the ship._

 _With a voice hard as ice, Raphael taunted the warrior. "Well look at what we have here. The good Commander is a spy after all."_

 _The guard slapped Raph on the back of the head, causing tears to well in his eyes. "You will show the Commander respect." Biting down on his inner cheek, Raph refused to cry out from the pain._

 _Commander Mozar rose from his seat. The Triceriton slowly approached the red masked prisoner._

" _Traximus and his rebellion has been a thorn in Zanramon's side for too long." He knelt down and grabbed the turtle's chin in his hand. "But now, we have Traximus's terrapin soldier."_

 _Enraged, Raphael gritted through his teeth. "You know I'll tell you nothing."_

 _Commander Mozar patted the captive teenager's cheek before rising. He fixed an evil smile onto his prisoner. "Oh my dear boy, I think you will."_

 _A guard stepped forward, holding a device Raphael did not recognize._

 _Taking the object into his hands, Commander Mozar admired the item as he held it up for his prisoner to look at. "You see this device." The Triceriton Commander twirled the device in his hands. "It's our latest acquisition. A Triceriton mind probe. Acquired from a source outside of the Triceriton Republic. This machine will tell us everything you know." Commander Mozar bent down and leaned close, whispering to Raphael. "And I do hope you resist. Because the more you resist, the more painful the memory extraction will become."_

 _Raphael felt his breath catch in his throat. The Commander was known for his ruthless treatment of prisoners._

 _Straightening, Commander Mozar nodded to the guards. "Take him away."_

***End flashback***

Returning his attention to the present, Raphael only heard the end of Donatello's sentence. "…mind probe was created for the Triceritons."

The red masked turtle growled at his younger brother. "You. You were helping the Triceriton Republic? My own brother?"

Donatello continued to panic. "Raph, are you listening to me? I didn't know who this was for until recently! I was going to tell you."

Raphael began to see red. "Then why didn't you? And why do you have it now?" Raph's eyes widened as he jumped to conclusions. "You're still helping him aren't you? The Commander, he's here on earth isn't he?" Raph lunged forward and grabbed Donnie by the shoulders, shaking him roughly. "Where is he?"

Donatello tried to wiggle out of Raph's painful grip as he protested. "Wait Raph. I don't know. Really I don't know."

Raphael was too angry to care. He shoved his brother aside, causing Donatello's chair to spin away from the angry turtle. As Raph turned on his heels and headed towards the door of the laboratory he commanded. "Shut up, you traitor."

Panicked, Donatello shot out of his chair. He grabbed his retreating brother on the arm as he pleaded. "Raph, will you just wait a minute and listen to me!"

Raph whirled around and looked at his brother with eyes hardened to stone. The bitterness in his tone lingering over each word. "Let. Go. Of. Me."

Uncertain as to what his brother was going to do, Donatello released his grip on Raph's arm, but did not move away.

Raph growled over his shoulder as he left the laboratory, slamming the door behind him. "You are no brother of mine."

* * *

Michelangelo had calmed down from his earlier rage and exited his room. Standing on the second floor, he heard raised voices from within Donatello's laboratory.

Leaping down to the first floor, Mikey approached the laboratory doors to listen to the argument.

Mikey approached the door in time to hear Raphael's demand. "Where is he?"

 _What? Where is who?_ Mikey leaned closer, trying to figure out who they were talking about.

Donatello's panicked voice replied. "Wait Raph. I don't know. Really I don't know."

Mikey's breath caught in his throat at Raphael's accusation. "Shut up, you traitor."

Distracted by Raph's accusation, Mikey missed Donnie's reply. His attention returned in enough time to hear Raphael's parting words. Mikey moved away from the door in time to avoid Raphael barreling into him.

"You are no brother of mine."

Mikey winced as the door slammed. Raphael's words to Donatello registered in his mind and Mikey's eyes widened. _Oh no!_

Raphael strode past the orange masked turtle without a word. He headed for the exit of the lair.

Michelangelo felt his anger from earlier coming back in full force. _Raphael is leaving too!_ And this time, it was all Donnie's fault.

Donatello had just sat down in his chair when Mikey stomped into the laboratory. His voice came out in a hiss. "What did you do?"

Donatello let out a groan as he ran a hand over his face. _This day just keeps getting better and better._

Recognizing that Michelangelo's anger had returned, Donatello pleaded. "Mikey wait. It's all a big misunderstanding."

Ignoring his brother's statement, Mikey ranted. "First we lose Leonardo. And now Raphael. You're supposed to be the smart one Donnie. You knew Leonardo was going to leave didn't you. And you did nothing. He didn't turn to us for help. And neither did you."

Growing frantic in response to Donnie's guilty expression, Mikey pressed on. "And now Raphael. He left because of something you did, didn't he? What did you do?"

Donnie opened his mouth. He promptly closed it as Mikey waved his hands at him as he kept on talking. "You know what, I don't care what you did. You're supposed to be the Mr. Fix It around here Donatello."

Mikey stormed out of the lab. "So let's see you try and fix this!"

* * *

Donatello stared at Mikey's retreating shell as he stormed out of the laboratory. _Mikey's right. It's all my fault_. _Everyone knows that Leonardo would do anything to protect this family._

In recent weeks each brother had taken to tailing the eldest on his nightly jaunts across the city's rooftops. With the gangs and clans struggling for control, the war breaking among the city's streets was quickly growing out of control. And with it, was the Elite Guards pressure to convince Leonardo to return as the leader of the Foot Clan. Donnie had hoped that eventually Leonardo would turn to his brothers for help.

 _But now Leonardo is gone, off to regain control of the Foot Clan in a self-sacrificing attempt to protect his brothers._ Frustrated, Donatello slammed his fist onto the plywood desk.

And Raphael just had to walk in when Donnie was looking over the Triceriton mind probe. _And now Raph is off on a personal vendetta to wipe out Commander Mozar._

Donatello stared at the device. After a few moments, the determined turtle started gathering up his things, shoving them into his brown duffle bag. When he had finished his rushed packing job the genius turtle walked to the door. He paused and turned around, letting his eyes gaze around his laboratory. He shifted the handle of the brown bag on his shoulder. _I can fix this, all of this._

With his decision made, Donatello silently slipped out of the lair.

* * *

Attempting his evening meditation session, Master Splinter's ears flicked back and forth in response to the commotion in the lair. The Ninjitsu master heard every word of Raphael and Donatello's argument. _Oh my son, you should have told him sooner._

Then Mikey's raised voice reached his ears. _Not you too._

Not long after, Splinter heard Donatello slip out of the lair.

Master Splinter let out another sigh, his heart growing heavy with the loss of his sons. In one evening, his small family was torn apart by the events of their pasts.

Splinter rose from his meditation mat. The only sound heard throughout the lair was the sniffles of Michelangelo on the couch. Splinter walked over to find the orange masked turtle's shoulders trembling. The concerned father sat down next to his heart broken son, engulfing him in a hug. He began rubbing small circles on the youngster's shell as he murmured comforting words in Japanese.

Michelangelo leaned into his father's strong embrace. His voice was muffled against his father's chest as his tears continued to fall. "Th-They're g-go-gone se-sensei. Th-th-they're all g-go-gone."

Splinter felt his own heart breaking. He wanted to reach out to his sons, offer them wisdom and guidance. But every parent knows that at some point you have to stop holding your child's hand. You have to let them grow up and become the master of their own lives.

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, Nature Versus Nurture will be a trilogy.**


	14. Author's Note

**A/N: Your reviews and PM's are the fuel that my plot bunny needs.**

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Chapter 14- Author's Note

Thanks to your reviews and PM's for Nature Versus Nurture: Part II Past Meets Present, I'm happy to announce that Nature Versus Nurture has now become a trilogy. And part three is here:

Nature Versus Nurture: Part Three; Devotion Or Deception

Leonardo leads the Foot Clan. Raphael hunts a Triceriton foe. Donatello lives with his ex. Michelangelo struggles with depression.

Haunted by their pasts, this fractured family struggles to move forward. This is the conclusion to the Nature Versus Nurture Trilogy.

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 **Thank you for your support, you guys rock! And happy reading!**


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